Rattus fuscipes

Bush Rat at Cotter River, ACT

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Identification history

	Rattus fuscipes	15 May 2022	DonFletcher
	Unidentified	14 May 2022	pixelnips

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User's notes

Unable to definitvely identify as rattus rattus. Curious to see if it could be something else

2 comments

pixelnips wrote:

14 May 2022

Apologies for the grotesque images

DonFletcher wrote:

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.

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