[Animals] Rats: Facts about these thin-tailed, medium-size rodents

[BirSaNN]

Rats are thin-tailed, medium-size rodents that are found all over the world.

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. What's the difference between rats and mice? Rats are generally larger, with longer, thinner bodies and long legs.

Here's everything you need to know about rats, their habitats, behaviors and more.

How big can rats get?
With nearly 60 species of rat discovered so far, these rodents come in all sizes. They are typically 5 inches (12 centimeters), or longer, according to Encyclopedia Britannica(opens in new tab). The largest species of rat is the Bosavi woolly rat, which was discovered in 2009 in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea (and doesn't have a scientific name yet). It is about the size of a cat — 32.2 inches (82 cm) from nose to tail and weighs around 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kilograms), according to CNN(opens in new tab). 

Sponsored Links
The Secret to Speaking a New Language Fluently
Babbel
"It's a true rat, the same kind you find in the city sewers," Kris Helgen(opens in new tab), expedition team member and Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, told CNN.

One of the smallest rats ever discovered is Osgood's Vietnamese rat (Rattus osgoodi). It is typically 5 to 7 inches (12 to 17 cm) long.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.(opens in new tab), male rats are called bucks; females are does. Infants are called pups or kittens. A group of rats is called a mischief.

Where do rats live?
Rats are found all over the world. For example, the ricefield rat (Rattus argentiventer) is found in Southeast Asia, the Australian swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus) is found in Eastern Australia, and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), also called brown rats, are found on every continent of the world except Antarctica, according to the Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan(opens in new tab). 

The brown and the house rat (Rattus rattus) 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. 

link: https://www.livescience.com/52342-rats.html