Oryzomys dimidiatus, also known as the Nicaraguan oryzomys, Thomas's rice rat, or the Nicaraguan rice rat, is a rodent in the genus Oryzomys of the family Cricetidae. It is known from only three specimens, all collected in southeastern Nicaragua (range pictured) since 1904. Placed in Nectomys upon its discovery, it was later classified in its own subgenus of Oryzomys and finally recognized as closely related to other species now placed in Oryzomys, including the marsh rice rat and Oryzomys couesi, which occurs in the same region. With a head and body length of 118 to 128 mm (4.6 to 5.0 in), O. dimidiatus is a medium- sized rice rat. The upperparts are gray-brown and the underparts are grayish, not buffy as in O. couesi. The tail is only slightly darker above than below. All three specimens were caught near water and the species may be semiaquatic, spending some time in the water. There is currently not enough data to make a proper assessment of its conservation status. (This article is part of a featured topic: Oryzomys.).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Oryzomys

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1139:

Prince Afonso Henriques led Portuguese troops to victory over the Almoravid Moors at the Battle of Ourique, which soon resulted in Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ourique

1861:

The United States Congress passed the Crittenden–Johnson Resolution, asserting that the aim of the American Civil War was to "preserve the Union"; the measure was repealed five months later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crittenden%E2%80%93Johnson_Resolution

1978:

Two Puerto Rican independence activists were killed in a police ambush at Cerro Maravilla in Ponce. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Maravilla_murders

2007:

Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the first female president of India. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratibha_Patil

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cutting: 1. (countable, uncountable) The action of the verb to cut. 2. (countable) A section removed from a larger whole. 3. (countable) A newspaper clipping. 4. (countable, horticulture) A leaf, stem, branch, or root removed from a plant and cultivated to grow a new plant. 5. (countable) An abridged selection of written work, often intended for performance. 6. (countable, Britain) An open passage at a level lower than the surrounding terrain, dug for a canal, railway, or road to go through. 7. (uncountable, cinematography, sound engineering) The editing of film or other recordings. 8. (uncountable, machining) The process of bringing metals to a desired shape by chipping away the unwanted material. 9. (uncountable, psychology) The act of cutting one's own skin as a symptom of a personality disorder; self-harm. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cutting

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Both the revolutionary and the creative individual are perpetual juveniles. The revolutionary does not grow up because he cannot grow, while the creative individual cannot grow up because he keeps growing.   --Eric Hoffer https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Hoffer