Rats: Everything you need to know about them.

Things You Didn’t Know About Rats.


You may be suprised to find out that, just like humans, rats are ticklish, have belly buttons and pass gas!

Rats may not be a usual choice of pet. This might be due to the fact that rats are often associated with dirt and carrying diseases! Whilst this may be true. If you have a Rat as a pet, its personal hygiene is typically on the same level as your domesticated pet cat or dog.

Although rats dont have the best image, they are pretty cool and interesting animals. Skeptical? Scroll down to see some amazing facts about them

Rats
Rat

Did you know ?

  • According to Chinese astrology, you would be a rat if you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1982, 1972, 1984, or 1996. That makes you fashionable, resourceful, and fast-witted.
  • More than 20,000 rats live in Karni Mata, a temple in north west India. Here the rats are worshipped with many believing that when they die, they will come back as rats
  • The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) commonly known as the Norwegian rat, and its Asian relative, the Black Rat (Rattus rattus). Have been distributed almost all over the world. This is because of their ability to stow themselves in boats
  • Ancient Romans thought it is a strike of good luck for a white rat to cross your path. While a black rat was considered a bad omen.
  • Rats pass on several diseases. Including viral hemorrhagic fever, plague, Weil’s disease, and Q fever, potentially fatal to humans.
  • Queen Victoria had a professional ‘Rat Catcher’ one of whom was called ‘Jack Black’.

Life facts about rats

  • A female rat has the ability to reproduce from around 3-4 months old and does so around 6 times a year. Within each litter there is around 5-10 pups although they can have up to 12!
  • Rats are omnivores and like to eat meat and vegetables. Known as opportunistic eaters, they tend to eat what ever they can get their hands on, including their own poo!
  • A new study conducted at national health institutes showed that limiting rat calorie consumption extends the lifetime of rats.
  • A rat may drop to 50 feet and land unhurt.
  • Rats use their tail to keep cool by expanding and contracting the blood vessels in their tale to control body temperature.
  • Outie or Innie? Rat has no gallbladder or tonsils but does have a belly button
  • Their teeth grow around 5 inches per year meaning they have to chew on things to wear them down. No wonder there notorious for knawing through all sorts of materials!
  • Certain rats can swim, some for over a mile and, hold their breath for around 3 minutes at a time. Also, its no myth, some can quite easily make their way up your toilet pipe!
  • Some rats, such as the sumatran bamboo rat, can weigh up to 8.8 pounds and measure approximately 20 inches.

Interesting Facts about Rats.

  • Rat’s prefer snuggling into little dark spots like your elbow’s crook.
  • Rats are social creatures and dont like being alone.
  • They sleep side by side and even groom each other.
  • They like to be tickled and can laugh, just like humans!
  • While humans go through baby teeth and adult teeth. Rats have only one set of teeth to last them their whole life.
  • A kangaroo rat may live without any water for an average of 10 years.
  • The Antarctic is the only uninhabited continent for rats.
  • Rats are known as “rodents”. Since they belong to Rodentia’s scientific order.
  • Rat have such a good smell. They are useful in detecting landmines. In diagnosing diseases like tuberculosis.
  • Bubonic diseases, Lassa fever, leptospirosis, and hantavirus. Are some of the pathogenes that rats transfers to human.
  • Bush rats are Australia’s most frequent indigenous rat species.
  • A rat can pick up nearly 1 pound more than its normal body weight.
  • In 1961 rats from France were some of the first animals to be put in space.
  • Rats have exceptional memories, and after learning to navigate once. They can save a path.
  • Rats’ jaws. constructed like an alligator. Can exert up to 7,000 pounds per inch.
  • There are more than 51 species of rats found.

Other facts you didn’t know about

  • Rat is a generalist species that can grow in various environmental circumstances. Adapt its diet to resource requirements..
  • A clump of tails can be collected and interspersed with chemicals. Chemicals like tree sap or gum. This prevent them from leaving. This horrific event is referred to as a king of rats.
  • The teeth of rats are robust. It can gnaw through glass, cinder block, wire, aluminum, and lead.
  • Following a minor electric shock, rats have the unusual ability to restart their heart.
  • A rat pack is called a mischief.
  • The rats are blind in color and have fragile vision.
  • Alberta, Canada, is the largest region with inhabitants. (4.25 million inhabitants) reported to be free of rats.
  • Some rats love to play hide and seek !
  • From a flat surface a rat can jump three feet in the air.

Rats are pretty cool animals and, in some ways, are just like us humans! Its not suprising now that some people keep them as pets!

Featured image: Green photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

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