West African Shaggy Rat
Dasymys rufulus
Red List assessment
Least Concernon the IUCN Red List
- EXExtinct
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- CRCritically Endangered
- ENEndangered
- VUVulnerable
- NTNear Threatened
- LCLeast Concern
The IUCN Red List assesses the West African Shaggy Rat as Least Concern.
- Genus
- Dasymys
- Red List category
- Least Concern
- Data updated
- August 9, 2026
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The West African Shaggy Rat is one of the mammals assessed by the IUCN Red List, so it has a page here — with its scientific name, Dasymys rufulus, 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 West African Shaggy Rat
Is the West African Shaggy Rat endangered?
The IUCN Red List assesses the West African Shaggy Rat as Least Concern. The species is widespread and abundant enough not to qualify for any threatened category. It does not mean the species is safe forever, only that nothing in the current data raises an alarm.
What is the scientific name of the West African Shaggy Rat?
The West African Shaggy Rat is Dasymys rufulus.
Other species in the genus Dasymys
Sources
Conservation status, range description and population estimate come from the IUCN Red List assessment for Dasymys rufulus. 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)