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Rattus exulans

Kiore Toka

Pacific Rat

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult	77KB
Image:	Compare with young Ship Rat	47KB
Image:	Nassau adult	126KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pacific Rat, Polynesian Rat

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kiore / Kiore Toka (RR), Kiore (MG AT MK MT AK TW), Rat (PL), Kiole (TS PK NS); Other Polynesian - ‘Iole (HAW, ancient)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE se.Asia - Indonesia; EXOTIC EXOTIC Micronesia - Melanesia - Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; Land

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Invasive - moderate, Pest - moderate (agric & domestic)

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	+++	++++	+++	++?	++++	++	++	+

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
P			++		++X

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Rattus exulans (Peale, 1848)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; MAMMALIA; THERIA; EUTHERIA; Rodentia; MURIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive - moderate, Pest - moderate (agric & domestic). Comments: NBSAP - Aitutaki (7 of 10 animal pests), NBSAP - Atiu (3 of 4 wild pests)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: specimens, 2/2004, M.Salisbury, with ID from DNA L.Matisoo-Smith, 2004.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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