Rattus fuscipes
Bush Rat at Cotter River, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Rattus fuscipes | DonFletcher | 15 May 2022 | |
| Unverified | pixelnips | 14 May 2022 |
Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.
User's notes
Unable to definitvely identify as rattus rattus. Curious to see if it could be something else
2 comments
15 May 2022
Hi pixelnips, Thanks for trying and thanks for trying to image all the feet that remain. As you apparently know, they are useful in distinguishing some rat species. A rat on Brindabella Rd well away from any watercourse could only be either Bush Rat (R fuscipes) or Black Rat (R rattus). The best features for ID are not present, i.e. tail length in relation to body length, and how far the ear folds forward in relation to the eye, but I think this might be a Bush Rat based on the following 3 features. Elongated post-hallucal pad, Tail pinkish and not very well furred, Upper surface of feet brownish, not whitish with black guard hairs.
BTW, some feedback on etiquette, for the future. In zoological forums you apologise for not having kept the specimen in your fridge/freezer so it could be examined properly, or for posting blurry images that didn't include every side of every anatomical part :-). They aren't grotesque to any proper person. Thanks and well done for bothering to consider what species this was, and for posting the photos to CNM.
BTW, some feedback on etiquette, for the future. In zoological forums you apologise for not having kept the specimen in your fridge/freezer so it could be examined properly, or for posting blurry images that didn't include every side of every anatomical part :-). They aren't grotesque to any proper person. Thanks and well done for bothering to consider what species this was, and for posting the photos to CNM.
Location information
- Coordinates 148.826688-35.342995
- Maps Lower Cotter Catchment
- Places Cotter River, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 14 May 2022 01:16 PM Recorded on
- pixelnips Recorded by
- Deceased Animal health
Collections
Species information
- Rattus fuscipes Scientific name
- Bush Rat Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1585.55m Recorded at altitude
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location