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Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat

Mesomys leniceps

Red List assessment

Data Deficienton the IUCN Red List

  1. EXExtinct
  2. EWExtinct in the Wild
  3. CRCritically Endangered
  4. ENEndangered
  5. VUVulnerable
  6. NTNear Threatened
  7. LCLeast Concern

Data Deficient has no position on the scale above — it records the absence of an assessment, not a degree of risk.

Open Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat on the interactive map.

The IUCN Red List records the Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat as Data Deficient.

Genus
Mesomys
Red List category
Data Deficient
Data updated
August 9, 2026

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The Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat is one of the mammals assessed by the IUCN Red List, so it has a page here — with its scientific name, Mesomys leniceps, 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.

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In the meantime, the full assessment is on the IUCN Red List.

Questions about the Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat

Is the Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat endangered?

The IUCN Red List assesses the Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat as Data Deficient. There is not enough information to judge the risk of extinction, usually because the species is rarely seen or has never been surveyed. It is not a reassuring category: several species were Data Deficient right up to the point they were found to be Critically Endangered.

What is the scientific name of the Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat?

The Woolly-headed Spiny Tree Rat is Mesomys leniceps.

Other species in the genus Mesomys

Sources

Conservation status, range description and population estimate come from the IUCN Red List assessment for Mesomys leniceps. 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)