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Rattus exulans
Basic stats
Diet
Grain, seeds, fruit, invertebrates
Habitat
Villages, cultivated land, forest edge
Range
Widespread across the Asia-Pacific, including Borneo
Litter size
2–7 young
Gestation period
About 21 days
Size
Smallest of the widespread commensal rats (head-body 11–15cm)
Weight
30–80g
The smallest of the three rat species long associated with human settlement across the Asia-Pacific, spread widely alongside early Austronesian voyaging and now found from Madagascar to remote Pacific islands.
Nocturnal and adaptable, foraging around villages, cultivated land and forest edges for grain, seeds, fruit and invertebrates. Rarely found deep in intact primary forest.
