Several Types Of Rats

Rats are rodents that belong to the Rattus genus of the family Muridae. These are the most dominant species on earth. There are several species of rats in the world. Most rodents feed on plants, but some feed upon animals as well. Generally speaking, there are two basic rat types. They are black or roof rats and Norway or brown rats. Both are thought to have originated in Asia & are now widely spread all over the planet.

Roof Rats

Roof rats (known as Rattus Rattus) are also called black rats & ship rats. They are usually black, slender, 16-21 cm long & weigh about 80-300 gram. Their tail is longer than the head and body and their nose and muzzle are pointed. They are called roof rats because they are climbers. Their paws enable them to climb and create nestles in higher parts of homes, rafters, attics and crossbeams of buildings.

Barn Rat

The brown rat, which is also known as the Norway rat, house rat, gray rat, barn rat, and wharf rat, is the larger of the two mentioned here, and one of the best-known species. Their scientific name is Rattus norvegicus. They are mostly grayish-brown, with a lighter colored stomach. A fully-grown brown rat is 18 to 26 cm long & weighs between 400 and 600 grams. Their nose and muzzle are blunt, and they have a tail shorter than its body. They prefer moist conditions and nest in deep burrows.

At around three to four months of age, these rats start to breed. They breed 1 to 13 times each year & produce 1 to 22 in a litter. Brown rats and black rats eat about the same things. Their diet mainly includes meats, seeds, nuts, grains, veggies, fruits, cereals and invertebrates. They consume about one-third of their weight in food every 24 hours.

They carry lethal diseases, damage structures and contaminate food. Some of the diseases potentially fatal to man that spread through rats are plague, salmonella food poisoning, toxoplasmosis and Weil’s disease.

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