Barbour’s Vlei Rat
Otomys barbouri
Red List assessment
Endangeredon the IUCN Red List
- EXExtinct
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- CRCritically Endangered
- ENEndangered
- VUVulnerable
- NTNear Threatened
- LCLeast Concern
The IUCN Red List assesses the Barbour’s Vlei Rat as Endangered.
- Genus
- Otomys
- Red List category
- Endangered
- Data updated
- August 9, 2026
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The Barbour’s Vlei Rat is one of the mammals assessed by the IUCN Red List, so it has a page here — with its scientific name, Otomys barbouri, its conservation category and, where one is known, a recorded observation on the map. What is missing is the rest: habitat, distribution, diet, behaviour, threats and the conservation work under way.
Each profile is researched and checked one species at a time, and there are thousands to go. You can put this one at the front of the queue.
In the meantime, the full assessment is on the IUCN Red List.
Questions about the Barbour’s Vlei Rat
Is the Barbour’s Vlei Rat endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List assesses the Barbour’s Vlei Rat as Endangered, one of the three threatened categories. The species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild — a step below Critically Endangered, but still on a trajectory that ends badly without intervention.
What is the scientific name of the Barbour’s Vlei Rat?
The Barbour’s Vlei Rat is Otomys barbouri.
Other species in the genus Otomys
Sources
Conservation status, range description and population estimate come from the IUCN Red List assessment for Otomys barbouri. Countries are derived from that range description, not from a mapped country list. Last refreshed on .
The distribution map is drawn from the IUCN Red List spatial data compiled in 2008. IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)