Interesting Facts about RATS ***

Facts about Rats

Facts About

Did you Know? List of Facts about Rats
Facts are statements which are held to be true and often contrasted with opinions and beliefs. Our unusual and interesting facts about Rats, trivia and information, including some useful statistics about animals will fascinate everyone from kids and children to adults.

Interesting Facts about Rats are as follows:

Fact 1 - Definition: Rats are long-tailed rodents similar to, but larger than, a mouse. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus and the superfamily Muroidea which includes hamsters, gerbils and mice.

Fact 2 - The common rat species are the Black Rat (Rattus rattus) and the Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Fact 3 - The Bubonic Plague is by the bacillus yersinia pestis carried by fleas and transmitted normally by rodents including the rat - it claimed 200 Million lives
Fact 4 - Lifespan: The lifespan of rats ranges from two to five years
Fact 5 - Rats kept as pets are calmer and less likely to bite
Fact 6 - Rats have poor vision but a very good sense of smell and are easy to train
Fact 7 - A group of rats is called a mischief
Fact 8 - Rats are omnivores, this means they eat both vegetables and meat
Fact 9 - Rats are very social animals and have a strong hierarchy in which the strongest rats will get the best food
Fact 10 - Rats use their tails to regulate their temperature, to communicate and for balance
Fact 11 - Baby rats are called Kittens (or the colloquial term 'pups')
Fact 12 - Rats are very clean spending several hours each day grooming themselves and each other
Fact 13 - They use their tail to control their body temperature because they cannot sweat.
Fact 14 - The largest rats are the African giant pouched rats weighing 1 to 1.47 kg (2.2 to 3.23 lbs) and grow to a length of 65 to 91 cm (25.39 to 35.83 in)
Fact 15 - A happy rat will chatter or grind its teeth. This is called "bruxing"
Fact 16 - A Male rat is called a Buck (or the colloquial term 'Squish')
Fact 17 - A Female rat is called a Doe