Colours
Distinguishing features
It can be distinguished by its very long, coarse guard hairs that form an outer layer to protect the softer underfur. The species is generally a light grey colour with the black guard hairs giving and overall greyish speckled appearance. This distinguishes them from the tan or brown colouration of many other rat species. (Wikipedia)
Size
- Up to 18.7 cm (Body and head length) - applies to Males
- Up to 15 cm (Tail length) - applies to Males
- Up to 16.7 cm (Head and body length) - applies to Females
- Up to 14.1 cm (Tail length) - applies to Females
Synonyms
Distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Their distribution can vary depending on whether or not the population is experiencing an eruption. After a period of rain when water and food resources are widely available, it has been recorded to have a distribution of up to 130 000 square kilometers across New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the majority of the Northern Territory and South Australia. During its eruptive periods, population numbers can reach hundreds of individuals per hectare.
They typically occur in temperate, sub-tropical, desert and hummock grasslands regions. (Wikipedia)
Chronotypes
Diet
It is thought that their diet is composed mostly of stems, leaves and roots of grasses, herbs and succulent plants as well as some seeds and insects. (Wikipedia)
