The Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), known to Māori as kiore, was introduced by the first Polynesian settlers. These rats eat a wide range of foods, including seeds, fruits, insects, lizards, bird eggs and chicks. Native plants and animals are poorly equipped to compete with, or defend themselves against, such introduced predators. The Pacific rat is now found mainly on offshore islands, as mice and rat species introduced by Europeans have largely displaced it from the mainland. This photograph was taken on Little Barrier Island in 1979.
Using this item
Department of Conservation
Reference:
10033848
Photograph by Dick Veitch
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