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Agree 2600:6c40:4300:40e:2453:6f17:2432:c7c but we should have a note about this common misconception.
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The '''Gambian pouched rat''' (''Cricetomys gambianus''), also [[Common name|commonly]] known as the '''African giant pouched rat''', is a [[species]] of [[nocturnal]] [[pouched rat]] of the [[giant pouched rat]] [[genus]] ''Cricetomys'', in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Nesomyidae]]. It is among the largest [[Muroidea|muroid]]s in the world, growing to about {{convert|0.9|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, including the tail, which makes up half of its total length.<ref name=Kingdon/> It is widespread in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], ranging from [[Senegal]] to [[Kenya]] and from [[Angola]] to [[Mozambique]] (although it is absent from much of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], where [[Emin's Pouched Rat|Emin's pouched rat]] is present) from [[sea level]] to {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />
The Gambian pouched rat is sometimes kept as a pet, but some have escaped from captivity and become an [[invasive species]] in [[Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keeping and caring for Gambian pouched rats as pets |website=The Spruce Pets |url=https://www.thesprucepets.com/gambian-pouched-rats-as-pets-1236743 |access-date=2021-01-28 |lang=en}}</ref> In the United States, the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) and the [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) now ban the importation of this species because it is blamed for the [[2003 Midwest monkeypox outbreak|2003 outbreak
==Characteristics==
[[File:Cricetomys gambianus 01 MWNH 266.jpg|thumb|Skull of a Gambian pouched rat]]
{{citations needed|section|date=February 2019}}
The Gambian pouched rat has very poor [[eyesight]], so it depends on its senses of [[Olfaction|smell]] and [[Hearing (sense)|hearing]].<ref>{{cite journal |first1=M.A. |last2=Ogunbunmi |first2=T.K. |last3=Olopade |first3=J.O. |last4=Ihunwo |first4=A.O. |year=2014 |title=The olfactory bulb structure of African giant rat (''Cricetomys gambianus'', {{small|Waterhouse 1840}}) I: Cytoarchitecture |journal=Anatomical Science International |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=224–231 |last1=Olude |s2cid=25811366 |doi=10.1007/s12565-014-0227-0 |pmid=24469950}}</ref> Its name comes from the large, [[hamster]]-like pouches in its cheeks. It is not a true [[rat]], but is part of an African branch of [[muroid rodent]]s. It typically weighs between {{convert|1.0|and|1.4|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Kingdon>{{cite book |last=Kingdon |first=J. |year=1997 |title=The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals |pages=199–200 |isbn=0-12-408355-2}}</ref> In its native Africa, the pouched rat lives in colonies of up to 20, usually in forests and thickets, but also commonly in [[termite]] mounds. It is [[Omnivore|omnivorous]], feeding on [[vegetable]]s, [[insect]]s, [[crab]]s, [[snail]]s, and other items, but apparently prefers [[
It has cheek pouches like a [[hamster]], which allow it to gather up several kilograms of nuts per night for storage underground. It has been known to stuff its pouches so full of [[date palm]] nuts so as to be hardly able to squeeze through the entrance of its burrow.{{cn|date=February 2019}} The burrow consists of a long passage with side alleys and several chambers, one for sleeping and the others for storage. The Gambian pouched rat reaches [[sexual maturity]] at 5–7 months of age. It has up to four litters every nine months, with up to six offspring in each litter. Males are territorial and tend to be aggressive when they encounter one another.
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== Detection of tuberculosis by scent ==
The Gambian pouched rat is currently being used in experiments at [[Cornell University]] to investigate its usefulness in the detection of [[tuberculosis]] in human [[sputum]] samples.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pouched rats sniff for land mines and medical samples |date=18 May 2019 |series=[[Radio National]] [[Robyn Williams|The Science Show]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/pouched-rats-sniff-for-land-mines-and-medical-samples/11124508 |access-date=May 22, 2019}}</ref> Reports<ref name="National Geographic">{{cite web|last1=Cengel|first1=Katya|title=Giant Rats Trained to Sniff Out Tuberculosis in Africa|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/140816-rats-tuberculosis-smell-disease-health-animals-world|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815013122/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140816-rats-tuberculosis-smell-disease-health-animals-world/|archive-date=15 August 2016|website=news.nationalgeographic.com|publisher=National Geographic|accessdate=16 August 2016}}</ref> that they are also being used in Mozambique and Tanzania to check tuberculosis test results have proven mildly incorrect: [[Genetic testing]] by Watkins shows [[APOPO]]'s workers are ''[[Cricetomys ansorgei|C. ansorgei]]''.<ref name="APOPO">{{cite web | access-date=2022-11-02 | year=2022 | website=[[APOPO]] | url=https://apopo.org/latest/2016/5/13/rodents-of-unusual-size-rous/ | title=RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE (ROUS)}}</ref>
==As an invasive species==
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