Brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus pencillatus)

The brush-tailed rabbit rat is considered an endangered species in the Northern Territory. It has dramatically declined to the Cobourg Peninsula on mainland Northern Territory and is also found on Groote and Tiwi Islands.

The preferred habitat of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat is eucalypt open forest and woodlands and they primarily feed on grasses and grass seed. Brush-tailed rabbit rats den close to the ground in hollows found in trees and logs.

Description

The brush-tailed rabbit-rat is a medium size rodent that is mainly sandy brown in colour. It is distinctly smaller than the black footed tree-rat. Rabbit-rats have very large eyes relative to their head and most individuals have a white-tipped tail.

How to identify

When look at camera images remember they are smaller than the other tree-rat, their fur appears lighter on the images. They have small rounded ears and very large eyes for their face.