Fifty native rats are being put through their paces in a rigorous testing regime adapted from NASA astronaut screening that scientists hope will show how animals cope with environmental stresses like climate change.

Key points: Scientists at James Cook University are undertaking the most comprehensive study of resilience in native rats to date

Scientists at James Cook University are undertaking the most comprehensive study of resilience in native rats to date They say they were inspired by NASA screening programs that test an individual's ability to cope with stress and change

They say they were inspired by NASA screening programs that test an individual's ability to cope with stress and change The rats all have unique personalities and given names like Destructor, Pirate, Houdini and Sickboy

Taking on puzzle boxes, mazes and obstruction tasks, the rats undergo physical exams and microbial gut profiling as part of the most comprehensive study of individual traits related to resilience in rats.

"A lot of animal behaviour work is done at a species level, not an individual level, and many studies only focus on a single aspect of an individual such as its behaviour or cognition," said Tasmin Rymer from James Cook University.

"I believe we need to look at individual variation within species to approach problems of environment and climate change."

While the rats won't actually get to complete a space mission, Dr Rymer said the project drew inspiration from NASA's model for screening astronauts.

"If you're not fit to go into space, if you can't cope with however many g-force, then they're not going to send you into space," she said.

"It's the same sort of idea — can we actually understand which of the individuals [rats] are more resilient?"

Destructor, Pirate, Houdini and Sickboy are some of the names given to the rats being studied. ( ABC Far North: Marian Faa )

Personality the key to coping

Once complete, the study will offer insights into the ability of animals to cope with environmental stresses like climate change and habitat relocation.

Preliminary results, for example, suggest rats that are neophobic — meaning they're afraid of new things — might fare worse in new environments because they're less likely to explore and find food.

"Every species is different and individuals within that species are different," Dr Rymer said.

"How can we design a reintroduction program, how can we make any sort of predictions about how a species will survive or persist if we don't know what a species within a population is actually capable of doing?"

The behaviour tests include monitoring how rats react in new environments, spatial awareness testing, whether they can solve puzzles and how they respond to threats like razor blades and snake venom.

"They are amazing animals and so interesting to study," Dr Rymer said.

"Most people seem to think of them as pests or disease-ridden, but the more I study them, the more clearly I see that each individual is unique and has their own personality."

Tasmin Rymer is studying physical and social factors that influence animals' ability to cope with change. ( ABC Far North: Marian Faa )

One of those, Destructor, got its name after chewing through an entire plastic exercise wheel in one sitting.

"He's an absolute sweetheart and a bit of an escape artist," said team member Misha Rowell.

There's also Pirate, Houdini and Sickboy — each named for their unique personality traits.

"Animal personalities have been recorded in a lot of species, even sea anemones, so it's not surprising that they have them," Ms Rowell said.

"But I find the variation between the personalities quite interesting."

Long nights, not much money

While the work is highly rewarding for Dr Rymer and her team, they've also had to grapple with many practical and financial challenges.

"Because the rats are nocturnal, all the testing needs to be done at night," she said.

"I'm lucky I have an amazing group of PhD students helping out with collecting data.

"It also costs a lot of money to conduct these kind of tests, especially the physiological and the microbial work."

The project is due to be completed early next year.