19 White Tailed Rat Facts You Ll Never Forget

The giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus) is a fur-coated mammal, belonging to the family of Muridae. They are native to the Australian rainforest, forming the largest rodent species. Most of its body length comes from its long white tail which is its most unique feature. Breeding levels up in the Australian wet season, where the females reproduce two to three offspring per season. The giant white-tailed rat is an omnivorous animal with strong teeth, jaws, and hind legs facilitating fast running to catch prey and bite them off easily. Although large-scale rainforest deforestation has affected their habitat, their population still seems to be stable as they are presently enlisted as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN.Want to know more bout the giant white-tailed rat? Read on to know more. You can also check out interesting facts about the harvest mouse and kangaroo mouse here.

19 White-tailed Rat Facts You’ll Never Forget

What do they prey on? Small amphibians, small reptiles, bird eggs, insects, crustaceans

What do they eat? Omnivore

Average litter size? 3

How much do they weigh? 2.6-3.9 oz (73.7-110.5 g)

How long are they? Body length: 4.1-4.3 in (10.4-10.92 cm) Tail Length: 1.9-3.8 in (4.8-9.65 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Gray-brown, creamy white, pink

Skin Type Fur

What were their main threats? Humans, Owls

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Tropical Rainforests, Grass Plains

Locations New Guinea, Aru Islands, North Queensland, Cape York Peninsula Of Australia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Uromys

Class Mammal

Family Muridae

White-tailed Rat Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a white-tailed rat?The giant white-tailed rat is the largest rodent species native to the South Australian countries.What class of animal does a white-tailed rat belong to?The giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus) belongs to the class of mammals and the Uromys genus.How many white-tailed rats are there in the world?The exact population size of the white-tailed rats is not known in the world as their population is relatively stable at present.Where does a white-tailed rat live?The giant white-tailed rat is an Australian rodent species endemic to North Queensland.What is a white-tailed rat’s habitat?The habitat of the giant white-tailed rodents ranges from tropical rainforest, grass plains, tropical wetlands, and savannas of the southern hemisphere. They prefer living in the warm and moist burrows and holes of the ground.Who do white-tailed rats live with?These rats prefer living a solitary life in the burrows and holes of their territory. But they become active during the time of breeding, looking for mating partners.How long does a white-tailed rat live?The average lifespan of these rodents is two years in the wild and six years in captivity.How do they reproduce?The breeding season starts from September or October and continues up to the wet season in December and January. The females dig deep burrows on the ground or seek hollows in trees to breed and nourish the young ones. As the giant white-tailed rat is a mammal, the young ones remain inside the womb of the females for a period of 36 days. At the end of the gestation period, two to three offspring are born. The young ones are nourished and cared for by the females for up to three months, after which they become independent hunters and can sustain their own life.What is their conservation status?At present, the white-tailed rat is listed as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN Red Book. Although large-scale deforestation of the Australian rainforests poses a threat to their range of habitat, their population is found to be stable and not much affected by it at present.White-tailed Rat Fun FactsWhat do white-tailed rats look like?The great white-tailed rat is one of Australia’s largest rodents belonging to the family of Muridae. They have a fur-coated body with gray-brown color on the upper side and a creamy-white underside. Their tail is thin and very long in size, white in color, and is naked with no hairs. Their ears, nose, and feet are baby pink in color and have two to three pairs of mustache projecting from either side of their nose.How cute are they?The giant white-tailed rat is an adorable rodent species in terms of its appearance. Their long white tail makes them different from other rats. They look extremely cute when angered as they sniff with their pink nose and wind up their small feet.How do they communicate?A giant white-tailed rat makes soft squealing noises as a verbal form of communication. When disturbed or angered they rear up their hind legs and sniff frantically. They can easily sense their prey and predators well by sniffing and hearing.How big is a white-tailed rat?Measuring at 4.1-4.3 in (10.4-10.92 cm) the giant white-tailed rat size is quite large in comparison to other rodent species as they are the largest rodents of Australia. They are five times bigger than a lizard and three times smaller than a mongoose.How fast can a white-tailed rat run?The exact information about the speed of these medium-paced rats is unknown.How much does a white-tailed rat weigh?The average body weight of these rodents including their long tail range more than 35.2 oz (1kg). As they are one of the largest Australian rodents, their weight is comparable to that of a rabbit.What are the male and female names of the species?There are no separate names given to the male and female rodent species.What would you call a baby white-tailed rat?No separate names are given to the young white-tailed rat.What do they eat?The diet of these rats is omnivorous by nature. They are found to feed on seeds, grains, nuts, and fruits fallen on the ground. Their animal-based menu includes different kinds of fungi including mushrooms, small amphibians, small reptiles like snakes, lizards, bird eggs, young nestlings near the ground, insects like cockroaches, small bugs, and crustaceans like snails.Are they dangerous?The giant white-tailed rat has not proved to be dangerous to human beings until now. But they are potential predators of their prey because of their sharp teeth.Would they make a good pet?It is highly advisable not to do so as they survive better in their natural habitat than in captivity. Also, it is hard to provide a proper white-tailed rat diet at home as they mostly feed on various kinds of small animals and plant items which cannot be easily supplied at home.Did you know…The giant white-tailed rat is existing for over two million years in Australia.They are known as mosaic-tailed rats as they have a naked tail with no hairs, but an interlocking pattern of scales similar to that of a mosaic tile.Apart from seeds and small animals, their diet also includes items like carcasses, rubber, electric wires, plastic, canvas, tin, and leather. They can bite off and chew anything with their extremely strong teeth and jaw.The Roraima mouse might be the rarest rat in the world.The white-tailed rats are nocturnal animals.Earlier these Uromys used to be a great meal for the Australian aboriginals, in the rainforest of South Cape York.Is it an endemic species?Yes, the giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus) is an endemic rat species of South Australia. They are found in plenty in locations like Queensland, Cape York, New Guinea, and Aru Islands with various kinds of adaptations balancing their survival status in the wild.The white-tailed rat’s adaptationsExisting over centuries, some of the giant white-tailed rat adaptations are their strong incisors and jaws to bite off anything as hard as steel as a mechanism to survive on any kind of food that is readily available. Proficient tree climbing techniques help them stay on and above the ground and also on tree hollows for sleeping or hiding.The main image is by Deane Lewis.

What type of animal is a white-tailed rat?

The giant white-tailed rat is the largest rodent species native to the South Australian countries.

19 White-tailed Rat Facts You’ll Never Forget

What do they prey on? Small amphibians, small reptiles, bird eggs, insects, crustaceans

What do they eat? Omnivore

Average litter size? 3

How much do they weigh? 2.6-3.9 oz (73.7-110.5 g)

How long are they? Body length: 4.1-4.3 in (10.4-10.92 cm) Tail Length: 1.9-3.8 in (4.8-9.65 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Gray-brown, creamy white, pink

Skin Type Fur

What were their main threats? Humans, Owls

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Tropical Rainforests, Grass Plains

Locations New Guinea, Aru Islands, North Queensland, Cape York Peninsula Of Australia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Uromys

Class Mammal

Family Muridae

19 White-tailed Rat Facts You’ll Never Forget

What do they prey on? Small amphibians, small reptiles, bird eggs, insects, crustaceans

What do they eat? Omnivore

Average litter size? 3

How much do they weigh? 2.6-3.9 oz (73.7-110.5 g)

How long are they? Body length: 4.1-4.3 in (10.4-10.92 cm) Tail Length: 1.9-3.8 in (4.8-9.65 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Gray-brown, creamy white, pink

Skin Type Fur

What were their main threats? Humans, Owls

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Tropical Rainforests, Grass Plains

Locations New Guinea, Aru Islands, North Queensland, Cape York Peninsula Of Australia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Uromys

Class Mammal

Family Muridae

19 White-tailed Rat Facts You’ll Never Forget

What do they prey on? Small amphibians, small reptiles, bird eggs, insects, crustaceans

What do they eat? Omnivore

Average litter size? 3

How much do they weigh? 2.6-3.9 oz (73.7-110.5 g)

How long are they? Body length: 4.1-4.3 in (10.4-10.92 cm) Tail Length: 1.9-3.8 in (4.8-9.65 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Gray-brown, creamy white, pink

Skin Type Fur

What were their main threats? Humans, Owls

What is their conservation status? Least Concern

Where you’ll find them? Tropical Rainforests, Grass Plains

Locations New Guinea, Aru Islands, North Queensland, Cape York Peninsula Of Australia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Uromys

Class Mammal

Family Muridae