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A rat is a small omnivorous
rodent of the genus Rattus. Rats are mammals somewhat bigger than
their relatives the mice, but seldom weighing over 500 grams.
The term rat is also used in the names of other small mammals
which are not true rats. Examples include the wood or pack rat,
a number of species loosely called kangaroo rats and the Bandicoot
Rat, Bandicota bengalensis. In Western countries, many people
keep domestic rats as pets. Descendants of Norwegian rats bred
for research, these animals are often called "fancy rats",
"coloured rats" or "colour rats." Domesticated
rats tend to be both more docile than their wild ancestors and
more disease prone, presumably due to inbreeding.
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There are over
50 species of rats, the most well-known of which are the Brown
Rat, Rattus norvegicus; the Black Rat, Rattus rattus; and the
Polynesian Rat, Rattus exulans. These three common species often
live with and near humans, share their food and spread disease.
At least one of these three species occurs on over 80% of island
groups around the world and they have caused about half of bird
and reptile extinctions. The Black Plague is believed to have
been spread by rat-borne parasites. Rats are also blamed for damaging
food supplies and other goods. They have a very poor reputation;
in the English language, "rat" is an insult and "to
rat on someone" is to betray them by denouncing a crime or
misdeed they committed to the authorities Rats might eat each
other in stressful environments or when the number of rats in
a space is very high, but cannibalism to prevent diseases from
spreading is normal, where dead rats are eaten before they start
spreading diseases.
Above Images Are From The USDA
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