From time immemorial, these smart, dexterous and, of course, cunning animals have been and continue to be a serious problem of all mankind. In the Middle Ages, they were generally a natural disaster! Who are they? Of course, rats. In the house, in the garden and in warehouses, these creatures cause serious damage to food and the household, creating great problems for us.
They were excommunicated …
Once upon a time, these creatures kept small and large cities at bay. In the XIII-XV centuries, they were generally the root cause of the death of the population from certain infectious diseases, such as cholera. The famous naturalist Russenel once compared the invasion of rats with the raids of the hordes of Attila and Genghis Khan.
As soon as humanity did not fight rats. These creatures were destroyed by hundreds and thousands. In the fight against them, people used the most effective poisons, boiling water, fire. It is curious that the rats were even excommunicated, invoking a curse from heaven for their entire race! These rodents number about 64 different species, but basically only three are known: the rat is gray, black and white (decorative).
The most famous rats
As we said above, the most common types of these rodents are the black rat and the gray, or pasuk. The second type may be called in another way: ship, or Dutch. The first reaches a length of 40 centimeters, of which 20 centimeters falls on a long tail.
The second species is much larger: gray rats grow up to 45 centimeters long, having a tail 19 centimeters long. Another species of these rodents is the white rat. She was artificially bred by a man in a laboratory. We will talk about it later.
Their legendary past
It can be said without exaggeration that gray and black rats have a legendary fighting past. In the Middle Ages, they literally seized the whole of Europe, devouring in huge quantities food supplies, thereby condemning cities and villages to starvation. In 1722, gray rats made a whole trip from the Caspian Sea straight to Italy.
Gray and black rat lifestyle
These rodents live everywhere: there is almost no rat-free zone on the globe. Is that the polar regions - the Arctic and Antarctic. They feel especially good next to a person. Rats are ugly and prolific creatures. For example, one female is capable of exactly one year to bring a brood, consisting of hundreds of their own kind. That is why a rat is considered an indestructible animal!
Gray and black rats perfectly tolerate even the most difficult living conditions. These rodents are extremely tenacious creatures. They do not care, neither frost, nor water, nor cold, nor hunger. Just think: even radiation does not stop rats! It is curious that on one of the islands where the military tested nuclear weapons, rats not only did not die, but also bred in huge numbers! Scientists recorded their average length - more than 1 meter.
Where do they live?
Rats, like mice, use burrows as their shelters. They either dig them on their own, or occupy someone abandoned. A black rat in general can occupy natural shelters (stumps, snags, hollows) and nests of various birds. They live both singly and forming entire territorial groups.
What do rats eat?
The vast majority of these creatures are omnivores. But, of course, even among rats there are true gourmets: certain species have certain eating habits. While some prefer purely plant foods (vegetables, fruits and seeds), others are happy to eat shellfish, insects and other small invertebrate animals.
Rat cannibalism
In addition to humans, rats have other enemies - dogs and cats. But this is what! From time to time, rats (decorative and wild) eat each other, posing a serious threat to themselves. From the point of view of common sense, this, of course, is good, because in this way they significantly help their own extermination. Sometimes parent rats devour their cubs, and sometimes vice versa.
The Rat King
Zoologists still cannot fully explain the phenomenon of the so-called “rat king”. This phenomenon is quite widespread among these animals. What it is? This is a huge ball, consisting of rodents tightly intertwined with their legs and tails. Each rat is involved in the “rat king”. A large pile of these creatures can include up to 60-70 individuals.
All representatives of the "rat king" live at the expense of offerings of other relatives. Why? Because they themselves, even with all their desire, will not be able to budge: their legs and tails are literally constrained. Scientists are trying to find the answer to this mystery of nature, but so far they have failed. No wonder they say that one of the smartest animals on earth is a rat (gray, black, white, decorative). Consider decorative details.
Decorative rats
So it is customary to call domesticated gray or black rats. Yes Yes exactly! Sometimes a domestic (decorative) rat is gray, not just white. Once in the UK they were taken out to earn extra money: people organized the so-called rat-dog fights. Decorative rodents did not fight for life, but to death fought with terriers. A little later, they began to conduct certain experiments. So the name "laboratory rat" appeared.
Nowadays, these rodents are becoming increasingly popular as companion animals. A huge number of their varieties have already been bred, having their own coat color (for example, a white rat), a certain body structure and the so-called marking - white spots on the main color.
