Cane rat
| Cane rats Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A man with a greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Hystricomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Hystricognathi |
| Parvorder: | Phiomorpha |
| Family: | Thryonomyidae |
| Genus: | Thryonomys Fitzinger, 1867 |
| Type species | |
| Aulacodus swinderianus Temminck, 1827 | |
| Species | |
|
Thryonomys gregorianus (lesser cane rat) | |
 | |
| Reconstructed range of Thryonomys gregorianus (orange) and Thryonomys swinderianus (red), with overlapping ranges in stripe pattern | |
The genus Thryonomys, also known as cane rats or grasscutters, is a genus of rodent found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only extant genus in the family Thryonomyidae. They are eaten in some African countries and are a pest species on many crops. The family name comes from the Greek word thryon, meaning a "rush" or "reed" and mys meaning "mouse".