| Bush rat | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: | Rattus |
| Species: | R. fuscipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Rattus fuscipes (Waterhouse, 1839) |
|
| Distribution on subspecies-level: red=R. f. fuscipes; green=R. f. greyi, blue=R. f. assimilis, brown=R. f. coracius | |
The bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) is a small Australian nocturnal animal. It is an omnivore. It is one of the most common species of rats and is found in many heathland areas of Victoria and NSW. Adult bush rats are smaller than the Australian swamp rat, (Rattus lutreolus), and in addition, the bush rat's foot pads are a pink colour, whereas the swamp rat's foot pads are dark brown.[1]
Bush rats first arrived in Australia in the second wave of rodent migration, around two million years ago.[2]