Bush rat Facts
Bush rat Facts
|
| Interesting Bush rat Facts: |
|---|
| Bush rat can reach 4.7 to 8.3 inches in length (plus 4.3 to 7.4 inches-long tail) and 5.6 ounces of weight. Females are slightly smaller than males. |
| Bush rat has grey, brown-grey or reddish-brown fur on the back and creamy or grey fur on the belly. Fur is soft and dense. |
| Bush rat has pointed head, large, rounded ears, prominent, chisel-shaped, yellow-colored incisors, long whiskers and dark, rounded eyes. Paws have pink foot pads and five toes with claws. |
| Bush rat is nocturnal creature (active during the night). It can travel 0.6 miles per night to find food. |
| Bush rat is an omnivore (its diet is based on plants and animals). It eats insects, seed, fungi, roots and stem of various plants. |
| Bush rat is classified as pest in some areas due to ability to destroy fields of sugar cane and transmit numerous diseases. |
| Bush rat digs and hides in the underground burrows, that are usually located under the shrubs, areas covered with various types of ferns and fallen trees. Each burrow has central (nesting) chamber that is lined with grass. |
| Thanks to ability to dig burrows and spend most of the time underground, bush rats can easily survive wildfires. Unlike many other forest animals, bush rats can eat fungi when other types of food are not available. Lack of predators and re-growth of damaged plants after the fire lead to rapid increase in the number of bush rats in the wild. |
| Natural enemies of bush rats are foxes, dingoes, cats, birds of prey and snakes. |
| Bush rat is solitary and territorial animal. One hectare of forest can support up to 10 bush rats. |
| Bush rats use visual, olfactory and audio signals for communication. |
| Bush rats mate all year round, except during the winter. |
| Pregnancy in females lasts 22 to 24 days and ends with 4 to 5 pups. Females can produce several litters per year under optimal environmental conditions. |
| Babies are small and helpless at birth (they have only 0.2 ounces at birth). After 20 to 25 days (when they reach weight of around 1.4 ounces), young bush rats are ready for the independent life. Bush rats reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 weeks. |
| Bush rat can survive 5 years in the captivity (it has much shorter lifespan in the wild). |
|
Related Links: Facts Animal Facts Animals Facts |