It is time to save the bush rat

"Australia is home to about 50 living species of rats that have adapted to its environments over thousands if not millions of years."

"Dr Finnerty said in the case of the bush rat it had multiple roles including as ecosystem engineers.We know them to be really good pollinators, especially of our banksias. They're good at moving seeds and eating seeds ... they're really good dispersers of fungi spores, the mushrooms that are so key to our ecosystems."

"They're really good at kicking out black rats."
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2026-02-28/smelly-bush-rat-towels-sydney-urban-rewilding/106368332
#biodiversity #BushRat #RattusFuscipes #BlackRats #rats #owls #goannas

"A new study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society looks beneath their skin. For the first time, it reveals hidden bone structures that may hold the key to the evolutionary success of goannas in Australia."

https://theconversation.com/new-study-peers-beneath-the-skin-of-iconic-lizards-to-find-chainmail-bone-plates-and-lots-of-them-260700

Paper [ https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/204/3/zlaf070/8203240 ]

#Australia #Goannas #Reptiles #MonitorLIzards #Osteoderms #Biology #Nature