Niviventer excelsior

The individual is relatively large. The body length is about 150mm. The tail is significantly longer than the body length, accounting for 125%-150% of the body length. The hind legs are 30-35mm long. The fur on the back of the body is yellow-brown, and the fur on the abdomen is pure white. There are fewer or no needle hairs on the back. The fur on the back and abdomen is clearly demarcated. The tail is two-colored, the fur on the back is the same as the back of the body, the ventral side is white, and the tail end 1/4-1/3 is completely white, with long hair on the tail tip. The teeth are the same as those of the northern rat.

It is endemic to China and is distributed in southern China, including Sichuan, Yunnan, and southern Tibet.

The Sichuan White-bellied Rat belongs to the Murinae subfamily. Previously, the Sichuan White-bellied Rat was considered a synonym of the Northern Rat. After the 1980s, its independent status was gradually accepted. The Sichuan White-bellied Rat is a larger individual of the genus Murina. It is a member of the forest ecosystem. Sometimes it is easily confused with the Northern Rat, but the belly of the Northern Rat is more or less sulfur-colored, while the Sichuan White-bellied Rat is pure white; the hind feet of the Northern Rat rarely exceed 30mm, while the hind feet of the Sichuan White-bellied Rat are usually more than 32mm long.

This species has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wildlife with Important Economic and Scientific Research Value under State Protection" issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000.

Listed in the 2013 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver3.1--Low Risk (LC).