Rats are members of the rodent family. They originally came from Asia as well as Australia. However, they can now be found in ever part of the world. Rats are different from mice primarily because of their size. Rats are bigger and they have longer bodies and legs.
Appearance
Studies show that there are over 60 different rat species. All coming in different sizes. Most are around 5 inches in length. The largest type of rat is found in Papua New Guinea. They are called the Bosavi woolly rat. These rats are very large. They are about 32.2 inches in length from head to tail. This is the size of an average cat. The smallest rat is the Osgood rat found in Vietnam. Usually it grows to 5 inches in length. Male rats are referred to as bucks, while females are called does. Their young are called kittens.
Habitat
Rats can be found everywhere and anywhere. Everywhere you go in the world there will be rats. Some rats live in rice-fields. This type of rat is located in Southeast Asia. There are those rats that love the swamp, like the Australian swamp rat. The most common rats are the brown and house rat. They have traveled to every part of the world. Using boats as their primary means of transportation. These rats reside anywhere that humans live. There are even rats that live in trees.
Diet
Rats eat just about anything. They are omnivores. But most species opt for meat instead of seeds and fruits. Those house and brown rats depend on us for their food. They occupy our homes. Leaving in the walls or in the floors. If you ever drop some food on the floor you will be amazed at how quickly a rat will sniff that out and be ready to snatch it up. They love to search through the garbage and do not leave your food unprotected. These little creatures will steal your food.
Studies have shown that rats do kill some insects and also eat grain. They even eat snails and small fish, small birds and some small mammals. They are those who lean more on the vegetarian side and only eat fruits and seeds.
Life Cycle
Rats prepare for the birth of their young. They build nests in trees or buildings. These nest are usually made of grass, paper or even trash. They can reproduce many offspring. Research shows that female rats are able to mate about 500 times in six hours. The brown rat can produce over 1000 babies in a year and have up to 20 at once. The tropical rats usually only have six babies at a time.
In rats the development stage takes about 25 days. After this babies are born weighing less than an ounce. The brown rat is able to reproduce at three months. Rats generally live for two or three years. House rats tend to have a short life expectancy rate because they are constantly hunted. They usually live for less than a year.
Behavior
Rats are said to be social creatures. They live in colonies. Rats create a complicated underground burrows. They are very good at hiding the entrances to their burrows. They use rocks, shrubs or vegetation to assist with this process. Once a rat population is large, there is a hierarchy. The stronger rats are dominant and the weaker ones are inferior. Males mate with females based on their social supremacy. Rats can display very violent behavior when endangered. They bite, and fight. They also have postures that resemble fighting stances.
Biology
Rats are annoying rodents. They use their teeth to do most of the damage in your home. They nibble and bite on your food. Or they even use their teeth to make holes in the wall. They have two types of teeth. Incisors and molars. The front most teeth are the incisors. Usually four, sharp long teeth when it relates to rats. These are the teeth used for gnawing. They keep growing throughout the rat’s life. Molars are the rat’s rear teeth. These are used for grinding food before it is swallowed. Most rats have about 12 molars. Six at the bottom and six at the top. Rats only have one set of teeth throughout their life.
Closing
Rats are rodents that can become very aggressive when threatened. They often cause lots of problems for many humans because of their unwanted pesky nature. Rats carry very dangerous diseases like leptospirosis, salmonellosis and rat-bit fever. They can multiple very quickly.
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