Several Kinds 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 eat 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 and are now widely spread throughout the globe.
Black Rats
Roof rats (known as Rattus Rattus) are also called black rats & ship rats. These rats are commonly black in color, slender, 16-21 cm long & weigh about 80-300 grams. Their tail is longer than the head & body and their nose and muzzle are pointed. They are called roof rats because they are climbers. Their paws are built to climb and create nests in higher parts of homes, attics, rafters 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 2 mentioned here, and one of the best-known species. Rattus norvegicus is their scientific name. They are mostly grayish-brown, with a lighter colored stomach. A brown rat in full size is 18 to 26 cm long & weighs between 400 and 600 gm. Their tail is shorter than its body & their nose & muzzle are blunt. They prefer moist conditions & nest in deep burrows.
These rats breed when they are 3 – 4 months of age. They breed up to 13 times each year and produce up to 22 in each litter. Brown rats & black rats eat about the same things. Their diet usually consists of vegetables, fruits, cereals, meats, seeds, nuts, grains and invertebrates. They consume about one-third of their weight in food everyday.
They contaminate food, carry lethal diseases & damage structures. 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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