[2] It is known only from sub-fossils that were found on Timor Island, Indonesia.

[1] Archaeological research on East Timor has revealed the bones of rats weighing up to 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) when adult[citation needed].

The biggest of these rats was described as weighing "five kilos (11 pounds), the size of a small dog," and was referred to as the "Giant Rat" in news stories.

[3] They seem to have died out between 1000 and 2000 years ago (around 1-1000 AD), perhaps due to large-scale forest clearance for farming.

[4] Humans, who first settled in Timor around 46,000 years ago, would have also probably eaten these rats as a delicacy, which may have been a factor towards their extinction.