Native rat found in front yard

[Cerion]

upon walking to the shop this morning there was a native rat (dead of course) in my front yard. unfortiantely my camera is buggered so I can't take pics. It definately isn't any form of domesiticated rat. I was so surprise I didn't think I'd see a native rat so close to Sydney. Domesticated perhaps but not native. Its the first one I've seen in the area in the 7 years I've been living here.

I found a link on the Australian Musseum site

http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/bush_rat.htm

 

[Samma3l]

Are they normal rats found in the bush or are they like a bandicoot type of creature? If they are a normal rat, there are plenty about, just have to go to the park across the road from Central station. There are heaps there esp at night. Just ask Teamsherman, he has caught one or two

 

[Cerion]

like a bandicoot sort of. It definately wasn't your typical rat though.

 

[rodentrancher]

Looks a bit like some of our dark coloured ratties to me??

 

[Samma3l]

Scientific name
Rattus fuscipes.

scientific name suggests that it could be similar to the common rat

 

[Cerion]

it was lighter grey to the one pictured ..... i was going to try and take a webcam pic but there are too many maggotts in it

 

[Fuscus]

Native rats are rodents and have "only" been in Oz for about 15 millon years. Some species are very difficult to tell apart from european rats ( you can try nipple counts, if you are that way inclined ).
The easist native rat to see, and the most spectacular, is Hydromys chrysogaster - the water rat. These guys get huge, to about a kilo ( I can see an oppertunity in the reptile food business here ) and have a fur covered tail, often with a white tip. Melbourne readers can easly view them at night at the St. Kilda pier breakwater.

 

[Cerion]

I have seen them along the Torrens near the festival theatre bridge and behind the zoo being an ex-adelaidean and all

this rat definately wan't your typical european variety

 

[Samma3l]

fur covered tail

this feature is what i thought separated a native rodent from an introduced one. My mistake I guess

 

[Fuscus]

There are lots of species of native rodents, i THINK it is only the Hydromys species who won't show thier naked tail in public

 

[ether]

I have seen a few water rats and they are massive!!!

 

[Nephrurus]

Water rats are great, but up north they get the giant white-tailed rats (cant remember scientific name, sorry!). I believe they get up to a kilo in weight and have been known to kill cats and open jam tins. They are slightly larger than the Hydromys, making them Australias largest.
Maybe some of our FNQ members can provide some more info.

 

[Fuscus]

White tailed rat Uromys caudimaculatus
from the Australian Museums "Complete book of Australian Mammals"

With its formidable incisors it is able to open cans of food and some who have suffered from the depredations of this rodent swear it is able to read labels

oh, and according to that book it is slightly smaller than the water rat

 

[missing_linc]

Re: RE: Native rat found in front yard

i was going to try and take a webcam pic but there are too many maggotts in it

Shake the webcam and enough maggots may fall out so that you can take the photo

 

[peterescue]

RE: Re: RE: Native rat found in front yard

People often confuse black rats with native rats.
water rats are a protected species so no snake food possibilities there.
The brown rat has a naked tail with a scaled appearance, like the ones your snakes eat.
Black rats have smaller round ears.
Get the book that fuscus mentioned. Its inexpensive and has lots of info.

 

[nuthn2do]

Bush rats have a tail shorter than their body, introduced species tails are longer.

 

[Fuscus]

RE: Re: RE: Native rat found in front yard

Inexpensive? I've just realized I have two copies, the 1991 edition with A4 then the 1998 version renamed to "The Mammals of Australia" and resized to Cogger size. The second one cost me $85 but you can proberly get it on the bargin tables now. As peter says worth getting.

But the best books IMHO are the "Encyclopedia of Australian Animals" by the Australian Museum (There is also a Steve Parish book of the same name. I haven't seen the Parish book and therefore have no comment on it). There are four volumes, Reptiles, Birds, Frogs and Furballs. Out of date and out of print but if you see any volume for sale grab it. All info for each species including photo are contained in a block, unlike Cogger where the photo may be on one page and the distribution map on the other, and some species ( like M.spilota ) have four pages of quality info. Where it does fall down, however, is that it doesn't have that brillant species ID key that Cogger has.

 

[Cerion]

RE: Re: RE: Native rat found in front yard

I have the complete book of australian mammals by the Australian museum given to me 1987 but is copyrighted 1983. A4 size. same thing? I'll have a squiz in there

 

[Guest]

RE: Re: RE: Native rat found in front yard

Isn't it weird that i'v never seen a native rat b4.

 

[Fuscus]

RE: Re: RE: Native rat found in front yard

Cerion - it sounds like the same book - I just have later editions.