Maclear's ratとは 意味・読み方・使い方

The Maclear's Rat (Rattus macleari) was a large rat which lived on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. Abundant, unfamiliar with and seemingly unafraid of humans, large numbers of the creatures emerged and foraged in all directions at night. Making querulous squeaks, the rats entered the Challenger Expedition's tents and shelters, ran over sleepers, and upset everything in the search and fight for food. Maclear's rat may have been responsible for keeping the Christmas Island red crab's population in check, as recent numbers of the crab are greater than in the past. It is thought that Black rats inadvertently introduced by the expedition infected the Maclear's Rats with a disease, upsetting their nocturnal feeding cycle, which in turn may have contributed to the species decline. The last recorded sighting was in 1903, although it is possible that Maclear's Rats formed hybrids with black rats.