Mammals
Rodents
Rats

Rats

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Identification of small mammals from photos is uncertain. It helps to have multiple photos, preferably with a scale in all images, showing: the ratio of tail-length to body-length; the nature of the ears, including how far the ear lobe will reach, in relation to the eye, when the ear lobe is folded forward; the pads under the hind feet; the fur above and below the body, any markings on the head or face; and the scales and fur on the tail. 

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Rats

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Hello NatureMaprs!This is an appeal to any current moderators or those looking to become a moderator. NatureMapr is now recieving an increased number of sightings from the NSW North Coast region (exci...

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Discussion

KorinneM wrote:
19 Feb 2025
For reference, this page (Frequently Asked Questions) https://north-coast-nsw.naturemapr.org/content/help-and-support

lists that information as well. It does take a little bit to get your head around how things work on this site, and identifications may be a bit slower in regions that don't have mods for a particular category yet.
Melomys burtoni
KorinneM wrote:
19 Feb 2025
For an added referrence, the first level of possiblities you see are what already have something identified within the New South Wales North Coast on here. When you hit 'can't find it', that takes it to what is known nationally in Nature Mapr. The third 'still can't find it' allows you to list a potential species, that then needs a moderator to create as a species and formally then identify your sighting.
Melomys burtoni
KorinneM wrote:
19 Feb 2025
@Watermelontree if you do the identify this sighting bit on this and go to the category that the species should be in, use the 'can't find it' button, then if you can't find it on that overall list for nature mapr hit 'still can't find it' you'll then be able to enter a new scientific name in that category. Nature Mapr doesn't have all species listed, particularly if we haven't had observations for a region yet for that species. For it to be then be 'formally' identified, there will need to be an expert for the category for this region, which varies across species as we still need to get new moderators on board. I'm speaking as a mod for the dragonflies and damselflies category across all of Australia. I hope this helps!
Melomys burtoni
BlackFlat wrote:
16 Feb 2025
Thanks Don I will check the other photos and see if I have one with a tail in it but from memory it was way longer than the body length.
Toni
Rattus sp.
DonFletcher wrote:
16 Feb 2025
Hi @BlackFlat, thanks for the record. And well done for providing the scale, which is extremely helpful yet done too rarely. No other moderator has commented in the interim, so I will try to close this off.

Scaling from your 8cm tin, we can eliminate a group of small species (this is not a mouse, Antechinus or Dunnart) and it is clearly not a water rat (Hydromys), which leaves us with four rat-sized species. They are Rattus rattus , Rattus norvegicus, Rattus fuscipes and Mastacomys fuscus. The latter can be eliminated because it is restricted to mountain areas (mostly treeless wet heaths and grasslands at relatively high altitude) and it usually looks longer-furred. We can't see tail length well enough to separate R rattus (introduced Black/Roof/Ship rat) from R fuscipes (native Bush Rat) which leaves the ID as 'Rattus sp'.
Rattus sp.

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Hydromys chrysogaster at Bullocks Flat, NSW

Hydromys chrysogaster at Bullocks Flat, NSW

Hydromys chrysogaster at Bullocks Flat, NSW

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