Dusky field rat

The dusky field rat (Rattus sordidus), also known as the canefield rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. In Australia it is found in northern Queensland and along the east coast as far south as Shoalwater Bay, where it is plentiful, and on South West Island in the Sir Edward Pellew Group off the Northern Territory, where it is considered a threatened species. The species was described by John Gould in 1858 and belongs to the genus Rattus. Its species box lists it as Least Concern, and the IUCN category carried by GBIF is the same, even though the island population in the Northern Territory is treated as threatened locally. The sources read for this entry do not describe its diet or lifespan.