Australian Biological Resources Study

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CAVS: 1409

Species Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769)

Brown Rat

 

Generic Combinations

  • Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769).

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia


Extra Distribution Information

Cosmopolitan.

Introduced from Europe.


IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Ben Lomond (BEL), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders (FLI), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), King (KIN), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), NSW North Coast (NNC), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR)

Ecological Descriptors

Burrower, crepuscular, gregarious, necrophagous, omnivore, peridomestic, predator, subtropical, terrestrial, territorial.

Extra Ecological Information

Underestimated climber and swimmer.

 

General References

Aplin, K.P., Brown, P.R., Jacob, J., Krebs, C.J. & Singleton, G.R. 2004. Field Methods for Rodent Studies in Asia and the Pacific. ACIAR Monograph No. 100. Canberra : Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

Barnett, S.A. 1976. The Rat: a Study in Behavior. Revised Edition. Canberra : Australian National University Press xiv 318 pp.

Baverstock, P.R., Watts, C.H.S., Adams, M. & Cole, S.R. 1981. Genetical relationships among Australian rodents (Muridae). Australian Journal of Zoology 29: 289-303

Calhoun, J.B. 1963. The Ecology and Sociology of the Norway Rat. Public Health Service Publication No. 1008. Bethesda : U.S. Dept. Health, Education & Welfare viii 288 pp.

Gemmeke, von H. & Niethammer, J. 1984. Zur Taxonomie der Gattung Rattus (Rodentia, Muridae). Zeitschrift fur Säugetierkunde 49: 104-116

Pasteur, N., Worms, J., Tohari, M. & Iskandar, D. 1982. Genetic differentiation in Indonesian and French rats of the subgenus Rattus. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 10: 191-196

Perry, J.S. 1945. The reproduction of the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus Erxleben). Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 115: 19-46

Storer, T.I. (ed.) 1962. Pacific Island Rat Ecology Report of a study made on Ponape and adjacent islands 1955–1958. Bulletin of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum 225: 1-274

Watts, C.H.S. 1995. Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus. pp. 658-659 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.

Watts, C.H.S. 1995. Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus. pp. 658-659 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.

Watts, C.H.S. & Aslin, H.J. 1981. The Rodents of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xii 321 pp. 16 pls.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
04-Feb-2023 10-Dec-2010 MOVED
10-Dec-2010 10-Dec-2010 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)