Rattus rattus

2 Black Rat at Forde, ACT

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Identification history

Rattus rattus	9 Mar 2020	MichaelMulvaney
Rattus rattus	24 Feb 2020	DonFletcher
Unverified	23 Feb 2020	sciencegal

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User's notes

Possibly a bush rat.

2 comments

AaronClausen wrote:

23 Feb 2020

What a dirty rat.

DonFletcher wrote:

24 Feb 2020

Hi Sciencegal, thanks for the sighting. I cant tell for sure from a head on photo what this is, but I suspect Rattus rattus, Black Rat. In decades of reported Smoky Mice, Broad-toothed Mice, Bush Rats, Antechinus and Bandicoots in Canberra Suburbs, so far every one has turned out to be a Black Rat (although some householders absolutely refuse to accept that) so I'm still looking. A photo showing the tail length in relation to body length, or a side view of the head and ears, or the pads under the feet would be easier to diagnose. A bush rats tail is shorter than its head-body when bent forward unnaturally. And its ears do not reach past the middle of its eye when folded forward.

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Location information

Coordinates 149.143554 -35.166972
Places Forde, ACT

Sighting information

1 Abundance
22 Feb 2020 07:19 AM Recorded on
sciencegal Recorded by
Collections
sciencegal Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Rats Rodents Mammals

Species information

Rattus rattus Scientific name
Black Rat Common name
Not Sensitive
Exotic
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 1019.83m Recorded at altitude
185 images trained Machine learning
External link More information

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania