Rats are the most dominant species of rodents on earth, belonging to the Rattus genus of the family Muridae. There are several species of rats in the world. Most rodents are herbivorous, but some are omnivorous. Generally speaking, there are 2 basic rat types. They are black or roof rats & Norway or brown rats. Both are thought to have originated in Asia and are now widely distributed all over the world.
Ship Rats
Roof rats (known as Rattus Rattus) are also called black rats & ship rats. They are normally black, slender, 16-21 cm long and weigh about 80-300 gram. Their nose and muzzle are pointed, and their tail is longer than the head & body. As the name suggest, roof rats are climbers. Their paws are built to climb & create nests in upper parts of homes, rafters, attics and crossbeams of buildings.
Norway Rat
The Norway rat is sometimes known as the house rat, brown rat, gray rat, barn rat or wharf rat. It is the larger of the 2 mentioned here, and one of the best-known species. Their scientific name is Rattus norvegicus. Their other name refers to their grayish-brown body, with a lighter colored stomach. A fully-grown brown rat is 18 to 26 cm long and weighs between 400 & 600 grams. Their nose and muzzle are blunt, and their tail is shorter than its body. They nest in deep burrows and prefer moist conditions.
These rats breed when they are three to four months of age. They breed 1 to 13 times a year & produce 1 to 22 in each litter. Black rats & brown rats eat about the same things. Their diet typically includes fruits, cereals, meats, seeds, nuts, grains, veggies and invertebrates. They eat about a third of their weight in food every 24 hours.
They contaminate food, carry deadly diseases & damage structures. Some of the diseases potentially deadly to man that spread through rats are salmonella food poisoning, toxoplasmosis, Weil’s disease & plague.
Learn more about the most effective methods of eradicating rat and pest control from your homes or offices. Check here for free reprint licence: Two Common Rat Species.
