Myotomys unisulcatus
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In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The bush vlei rat or Karoo bush rat (Myotomys unisulcatus, formerly Otomys unisulcatus) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitat is temperate shrubland. The Karoo rat uses behavioral adaptations to cope with the dry arid climate. It is a medium-sized rodent with a dark pelage on top and lighter underneath. It has light colored feet and a dark tail. The rat may have light colored fur around its eyes and the back of its ears.
The Karoo bush rat can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa. These deserts have extreme temperature fluctuations ranging from below 0 °C (32 °F) in the winter to over 40 °C (104 °F) in the summer. The Karoo bush rat unlike most rodents creates a refuge made of interwoven sticks and is sited on the surface. These stick lodges are found in the shrubs of the desert. They can be over 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and there is only one lodge per bush/shrub. These stick lodges offer protection against the extreme climates, predators, and also a physiological refuge. The temperature variation in the nests are significantly less than the surrounding ambient temperatures with the temperature... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bush Vlei Rat sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 44 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bush Vlei Rat in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bush Vlei Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Addo Elephant National Park, in our data
Addo Elephant National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Bush Vlei Rat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Muridae
The closest relatives of the Bush Vlei Rat that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (family Muridae, Old World Mice and Rats) are Cape Four-striped Grass Mouse (about 10%) and vlei rat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bush Vlei Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Addo Elephant National Park (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
