Rats
Scientific Name: Rattus norvegicus The Norway rat goes by many names: Brown rat, Sewer rat, Wharf rat, Street rat and Common rat.
Fun Fact: A rat can go longer than a camel without having a drink of water.
Lifespan: Approx. 4 years
Description
Rats are thin-tailed, medium-size rodents that originated in Asia and Australia but are now found all over the world. “True rats” are members of the genus Rattus, but other rodent genera are also referred to as rats and share many of the same characteristics. Rats differentiate from mice by being larger, with longer, thinner bodies and long legs.
Where Do Norway Rats Live?
The brown and the house rat are the most common rats in the world because they have taken boats to every country over the past few centuries. House rats typically like warmer climates, while brown rats live in temperate climates. They typically live anywhere humans live. Many rat species also live in trees. Thought to have originated in northern China, this rodent has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America—making it by at least this particular definition the most successful mammal on the planet after humans. With rare exceptions, the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas.
How Big Do Norway Rats Get?
Norway rats can grow up 20 inches with the body being approx. 10 inches and the tail making up another 10 inches.
Diet
Norway Rats are omnivores, but many prefer meat when they can get it. House and brown rats usually use humans for their primary food source. They will scavenge through trash or eat any food that is left unprotected. Norway Rats have also been known to eat grain or kill insects, water creatures such as snails, fish and mussels, small birds, mammals and reptiles for food. Other rats, such as the Sulawesi white-tailed rat and Hoffman’s rat, prefer vegetarian fair such as seed and fruits.
Habits
Overall, Norway rats live to forage and mate. Most rats are nocturnal, though the brown rat is often awake day or night. Rats usually stick together in groups called packs. New packs are formed when a male and female go off on their own and nest in an area that doesn’t already contain a pack. Brown rats are usually led by the largest male in the pack. Other rats may have several dominant males or females in a pack.
Litters
Norway rats can produce up to 2,000 offspring in a year and can have up to 22 young at once, though eight or nine is more the average.
Other Norway Rat Facts
Brown and house rats have made a number of mammal, bird and reptile species extinct, especially on oceanic islands. They have also spread of diseases among humans, including bubonic plague. Rats aren’t all bad, though. Brown rats are used in laboratories for research. In fact, 95 percent of all lab animals are mice and rats.
A Norway Rat’s front teeth grow 4.5 to 5.5 in each year and they must constantly gnaw to keep their teeth from getting so large or their jaw won’t be able to close.
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