Southern African vlei rat

The Southern African Vlei Rat (Otomys irroratus) is a species of rodent in the Otomys genus ("vlei rats") of the family Muridae. This is the type species of the genus. The range extends from the far South Western Cape of South Africa, around the southern and eastern coast and adjacent interior, to subtropical regions in southern Natal. This part of its range includes Lesotho. Further north it no longer occurs around the actual coast. Inland however, its range extends north to tropical areas, nearly to the northern boundary of the Transvaal, including parts of Swaziland. An apparently isolated population occurs still further north in tropical eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique. Its habitats include temperate low-altitude swamps and grassland, and subtropical and tropical high-altitude grassland, swamps, and plantations.