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 two basic types of rats. They are black or roof rats and Norway or brown rats. Both are thought to have originated in Asia and are now widely spread all over the globe.
Black Rats
The black rats are sometimes called roof rats and ship rats, scientifically named Rattus Rattus. These rats are usually black in color, slender, 16-21 cm long and weigh about 80-300 grams. Their tail is longer than the head and body and their nose and muzzle are pointed. As the name suggest, roof rats are climbers. Their paws enable them to climb and build nests in higher parts of homes, rafters, attics and crossbeams of buildings.
Norway Rat
The brown rat, which is also known as the Norway rat, house rat, gray rat, barn rat, and wharf rat, is one of the best-known and is the larger of the two. 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 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 up to 13 times each year and produce up to 22 in each litter. Brown rats and black rats eat about the same things. Their diet mainly consists of nuts, grains, veggies, fruits, cereals, meats, seeds and invertebrates. They eat about a third of their weight in food every 24 hours.
They damage structures, contaminate food and carry lethal diseases. Some of the diseases potentially fatal to man that spread through rats are salmonella food poisoning, toxoplasmosis, Weil's disease and plague.
Black Rats
The black rats are sometimes called roof rats and ship rats, scientifically named Rattus Rattus. These rats are usually black in color, slender, 16-21 cm long and weigh about 80-300 grams. Their tail is longer than the head and body and their nose and muzzle are pointed. As the name suggest, roof rats are climbers. Their paws enable them to climb and build nests in higher parts of homes, rafters, attics and crossbeams of buildings.
Norway Rat
The brown rat, which is also known as the Norway rat, house rat, gray rat, barn rat, and wharf rat, is one of the best-known and is the larger of the two. 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 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 up to 13 times each year and produce up to 22 in each litter. Brown rats and black rats eat about the same things. Their diet mainly consists of nuts, grains, veggies, fruits, cereals, meats, seeds and invertebrates. They eat about a third of their weight in food every 24 hours.
They damage structures, contaminate food and carry lethal diseases. Some of the diseases potentially fatal to man that spread through rats are salmonella food poisoning, toxoplasmosis, Weil's disease and plague.
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