Rattus or Mastacomys sp. (genus)
An unidentified rat species at Rendezvous Creek, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Rattus or Mastacomys sp. (genus) | MichaelMulvaney | 5 Jun 2020 | |
| Rattus fuscipes | dhkmapr | 5 Jun 2020 | |
| Unverified | ChrisHolder | 5 Jun 2020 |
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4 comments
5 Jun 2020
Rattus, but is it R rattus or R fuscipes? I cant tell but the tail length makes me lean toward R rattus.
6 Jun 2020
I'm finding it difficult to judge tail length from the photos. One interpretation of the first photo is of a short tail, but with features of the rock behind it suggesting it is longer. The second photo suggests a short tail, but this could be due to perspective. If we're satisfied that the tail is long, and noting that the muzzle is pointed, not rounded, then R rattus is a good ID.
6 Jun 2020
Hi dhkmapr, they seem never to line themselves up with a ruler and the diagonal perspective reduces confidence in the estimate. The actual requirement is to bend the tail forward past the nose so we are doing a lot of work with out imagination to judge from photos. One day someone will do a test with trapping + cameras and find out how good we are at identifying known examples of these two species.
6 Jun 2020
Don. I agree. Variation in camera resolution adds another degree of difficulty. ... not to mention spp that are hard to separate even in the hand - eg some sympatric populations of A stuartii and A agilis.
Location information
- Coordinates 148.992712-35.736563
- Maps Namadgi National Park
- Places Rendezvous Creek, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 5 Jun 2020 04:46 AM Recorded on
- ChrisHolder Recorded by
Collections
- Mammals Rodents Rats ChrisHolder Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Rattus or Mastacomys sp. (genus)
Species information
- Rattus or Mastacomys sp. (genus) Scientific name
- An unidentified rat species Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Cosmopolitan
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 998m Recorded at altitude
-
Synonyms
Rattus sp.