Rattus rattus
Black Rat at Molonglo River Reserve
Identify this sighting
| Rattus rattus | DonFletcher | 25 Nov 2023 | |
| Rattus rattus | CarbonAI | 24 Nov 2023 | |
| Rattus rattus | SteveBorkowskis | 24 Nov 2023 |
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4 comments
25 Nov 2023
Hi Steve, I think your ID is correct (besides, no other terrestrial rat species is likely at that location) but if there is a photo showing the whole body and tail, or just one of the tail, could you post them too please?
25 Nov 2023
Steve and I had a separate communication about the whole body image. Apparently the rat was hit by an agricultural slasher and parts were chopped off, i.e. the whole animal image is gory to some degree. I suggested he post it anyway because that sort of thing is just part of the natural world (all animals injure other animals) and is an unavoidable element of zoology. The current and increasing trend to hide people from such images is both a symptom of our increasing detachment from nature and part of the cause of that disconnect. It should be resisted.
25 Nov 2023
Hi Don, I’ve added an additional photo on your recommendation, I agree with your viewpoint but I’m also conscious that others may be upset seeing such things, and I thought perhaps ID might be achievable without that photo. Although it still looks alive in that photo is it just recently deceased and tangled and propped up with woody debris blackberry canes and St. John’s wort stems etc. Normally they run away but for whatever reason this one must have been disoriented and went in the wrong direction.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.019317-35.267369
- Altitude 555.6m
- Maps Kama Molonglo River Reserve
- Places Belconnen, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 24 Nov 2023 11:38 AM Recorded on
- SteveBorkowskis Recorded by
- Deceased Animal health
Collections
Species information
- Rattus rattus Scientific name
- Black Rat Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Exotic
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1019.83m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Description