Bogul fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are boguls?

A bogul is a small native Australian rodent also known as the bush rat. Its scientific name is Rattus fuscipes.

Boguls are shy, nocturnal mammals that live close to dense ground cover, leaf litter, logs, rocks and shallow burrows. They are not the same as introduced black rats or brown rats. Boguls belong in Australian bushland ecosystems and are part of local food webs.

In recent northern Sydney rewilding projects, bogul has been used as a Dharug-language name for bush rats. This fact sheet uses bogul as the main name, with bush rat included where it helps with identification and scientific clarity.

A bogul.

A bogul with soft brown fur and a tail about the same length as its body.

Where do boguls live?

Boguls live in forests, woodlands, heathlands and coastal scrub where there is dense ground cover. They usually stay close to thick understorey plants, fallen logs, rocks, leaf litter and soft soil where they can shelter and build nests.

Boguls have been recorded in Lane Cove National Park. In the Field of Mars area, dense shrubs, ground cover, leaf litter, fallen logs and eucalypt forest provide the kinds of habitat features used by small ground-dwelling mammals.

A bogul moving through leaf litter and ground cover.

What do boguls eat?

Boguls are omnivores. They eat fungi, seeds, fruits, grasses, plant stems and small invertebrates such as insects. In damp forest and woodland, fungi and leaf-litter animals can be important parts of their diet.

Boguls feed mostly at night. As they move through leaf litter and ground cover, they can help move seeds and fungal spores through the bushland. They may also help control some small invertebrate populations.

Fungi in damp leaf litter can be part of a bogul’s diet.

What is the life cycle of boguls?

Boguls are short-lived mammals. Many individuals do not survive to a second breeding season, so successful breeding in spring and summer is important for local populations.

Females can give birth to several young in a litter. The young develop in a nest chamber lined with grasses and other plant material. They are weaned after about 4–5 weeks and may become mature enough to breed from about four months old when conditions are favourable.

Boguls use grasses and other plant material to line nests in sheltered places.

What adaptations do boguls have to help them survive?

Boguls have soft brown or grey-brown fur that helps them blend into leaf litter, soil, bark and shadows. Their large eyes, whiskers and strong sense of smell help them move and find food at night.

They are ground-dwelling animals that stay close to cover. Dense understorey plants, logs, rocks and burrows help protect them from predators such as owls, snakes, foxes and cats. Their tail is about the same length as, or shorter than, the body, which helps distinguish boguls from introduced black rats, which usually have longer tails.

A shorter tail, rounded ears and large eyes help distinguish boguls from introduced black rats.

Why are boguls important?

Boguls are part of Australian bushland food webs. They eat plant material, fungi and small invertebrates, and they are prey for native predators such as owls and snakes.

Boguls can also help ecosystems by moving seeds and fungal spores through the ground layer. In some Sydney rewilding projects, scientists hope boguls will help restore native ecosystem functions and compete with introduced black rats in suitable bushland.

Wildlife surveys and rewilding projects can help scientists understand and protect boguls.

How can you help boguls?

You can help boguls and other small native mammals by protecting dense bushland understorey. Stay on tracks, leave fallen logs, rocks, bark and leaf litter in place, and avoid disturbing burrows or sheltered ground habitat.

Keep cats indoors, especially at night, and keep dogs out of bushland reserves where they are not permitted. If you see a rat-like animal in or near bushland, do not assume it is a pest. A clear photograph can help wildlife experts or council staff identify whether it is a native bogul or an introduced rat.

Protecting leaf litter, dense understorey plants and fallen logs helps boguls and other small native mammals survive.

Related fact sheets

More mammal fact sheets

• Mammals fact sheet⁠ – Learn about mammals, including native rodents, marsupials, monotremes and bats.
• Long-nosed bandicoot fact sheet⁠ – Compare another ground-dwelling mammal that forages in soil and leaf litter.
• Short-beaked echidna fact sheet⁠ – Explore another mammal that searches for food around soil, logs and leaf litter.
• Swamp wallaby fact sheet⁠ – Learn about a larger native mammal that shelters in dense bushland.
• Red fox fact sheet⁠ – Find out about an introduced predator that affects many native animals.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet⁠ – Learn about local bushland habitats, wildlife refuge values and conservation.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet⁠ – Explore forest ecosystems with trees, shrubs, ground cover, leaf litter and fallen logs.
• Leaf litter habitat fact sheet⁠ – Learn how fallen leaves, bark and twigs provide food and shelter.
• Shrub habitat fact sheet⁠ – Explore dense understorey plants that protect small animals.
• Rock and log habitat fact sheet⁠ – Discover how rocks, fallen timber and crevices shelter ground animals.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Invertebrate fact sheets⁠ – Explore small animals that live in soil, leaf litter, bark and rotting wood.
• Earthworm fact sheet⁠ – Learn about soil animals that help recycle organic matter.
• Termite fact sheet⁠ – Discover decomposers that recycle dead wood and plant material.
• Wolf spider fact sheet⁠ – Compare another ground-dwelling predator in leaf litter and bushland.

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