The Giant Rat of Australia

Explanation: There are giant things in the world. This week we are a nocturnal search for marsupials in tropical northern Australia. But what should show up to taste some of the syrup bait we painted on this tree to entice in possums, is not a possum, and not even a marsupial.

It is a rat. But a very special one, if that's possible with rats.

This is the giant white-tailed rat, found only in thin sliver of coastal rainforest in extreme northeastern Australia.

Also known as the equally descriptive giant mosaic-tailed rat, this is a mostly solitary rodent that climbs trees to secure its diverse prey of insects, small reptiles and other vertebrates, bird eggs, as well as scavenging the ground for fruits, nuts, fungi, seeds, bugs, crabs, and ... well, you get the idea.

How big is this "giant?" It's the size of a rabbit! Nose tip to tail tip, they can measure a good 28 inches (71 cm). That's two and a third feet (0.7 meters).

The tail and paws are pale, the body covered with coarse spiny guard hairs.
The tail is semi-prehensile and can wrap around the trunk of
a tree for stability, as shown in the main photo at the
top of this page.

And yes, within their range they are common, and yes, they will enter your house on the hunt for food, but they mostly inhabit wet tropical sclerophyll forests and woodlands.

EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week