Long known for bats and adventure tourism, Meghalaya’s vast cave systems have also been found to have emerged as habitats for several species of land mammals, from giant rats and porcupines to civets, fishing cats and even bears, according to a research.The research titled “An evaluation of evidence for utilization of cave habitats by terrestrial mammals in Meghalaya” draws on over three decades of cave exploration across the state.
Authors of the paper are Uttam Saikia, Manuel Ruedi, Thomas Arbenz, Oana Chachula, D Khlur B Mukhim, Brian D Kharpran-Daly (also known as Cave Man of Meghalaya) and Dan Harries.The research is based on 123 records from nearly 80 caves documented between 1992 and 2025, using cave mapping reports, field notes and photographs—much of it collected incidentally by explorers rather than through structured wildlife surveys.
The findings challenge the long-held view that Meghalaya’s caves are used mainly by bats. Instead, the most frequent cave users are rats. The Edwards’s long-tailed giant rat (Leopoldamys edwardsi) shows a clear and consistent association with caves, with evidence of nesting, breeding and even feeding underground. Rats account for more than a third of all mammal records, and over 80% of those point to active or recent use.