Pale Field Rat
Encyclopedia
The Pale Field Rat is a nocturnal herbivore
endemic in Australia
. It once occupied almost all areas of mainland Australia
, but is now found only in tall grassland in northern Australia.
The Pale Field Rat is yellow-brown and either grey or cream on the underside. It eats grass stems, seeds and roots, and during the day rests in a shallow burrows dug in loose, crumbly soil. With the introduction of cattle
, its habitat has been negatively effected through the effect of soil
compaction.
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
endemic in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It once occupied almost all areas of mainland Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but is now found only in tall grassland in northern Australia.
The Pale Field Rat is yellow-brown and either grey or cream on the underside. It eats grass stems, seeds and roots, and during the day rests in a shallow burrows dug in loose, crumbly soil. With the introduction of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, its habitat has been negatively effected through the effect of soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
compaction.