"Rattus norvegicus" and "Sewer Rat" redirect here. For the album, see Rattus Norvegicus (album). For the roller coaster, see Sewer Rat (roller coaster).
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Brown rat
Temporal range: Early Holocene - Recent
A wild rat in Turkey
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Family:
Muridae
Genus:
Rattus
Species:
R. norvegicus
Binomial name
Rattus norvegicus
(Berkenhout, 1769)
The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat and Norwegian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown or grey rodent with a body length of up to 28 cm (11 in) long, and a tail slightly shorter than that. It weighs between 140 and 500 g (4.9 and 17.6 oz). Thought to have originated in northern China and neighbouring areas, this rodent has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America. With rare exceptions, the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas.
Selective breeding of the brown rat has produced the fancy rat (rats kept as pets), as well as the laboratory rat (rats used as model organisms in biological research). Both fancy rats and laboratory rats are of the domesticated subspecies Rattus norvegicus domestica.[2][3] Studies of wild rats in New York City have shown that populations living in different neighborhoods can evolve distinct genomic profiles over time, by slowly accruing different traits.[4][5]
^Ruedas, L.A. (2016). "Rattus norvegicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T19353A165118026. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T19353A165118026.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^Hulme-Beaman, Ardern; Orton, David; Cucchi, Thomas (19 June 2021). "The origins of the domesticate brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) and its pathways to domestication". Animal Frontiers. 11 (3): 78–86. doi:10.1093/af/vfab020. PMC 8214441. PMID 34158992. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^Modlinska, Klaudia; Pisula, Wojciech (17 January 2020). "The Norway rat, from an obnoxious pest to a laboratory pet". eLife. 9: e50651. doi:10.7554/eLife.50651. PMC 6968928. PMID 31948542. S2CID 210701849.
^Bender, Eric (21 March 2022). "Urban evolution: How species adapt to survive in cities". Knowable Magazine. Annual Reviews. doi:10.1146/knowable-031822-1. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
^Combs, Matthew; Puckett, Emily E.; Richardson, Jonathan; Mims, Destiny; Munshi‐South, Jason (12 December 2017). "Spatial population genomics of the brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) in New York City". Molecular Ecology. 27 (1): 83–98. doi:10.1111/mec.14437. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 29165929. S2CID 13739507. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
The brownrat (Rattus norvegicus), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat and Norwegian rat, is a widespread...
species of rats in the world. The best-known rat species are the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the brownrat (Rattus norvegicus). This group, generally...
The black rat (Rattus rattus), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus Rattus...
species of rat in the world behind the brownrat and black rat. Contrary to its vernacular name, the Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, and like...
The fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica) is the domesticated form of Rattus norvegicus, the brownrat, and the most common species of rat kept as a...
New York's human population. The city's rat population is dominated by the brownrat (also known as the Norway rat). The average adult body weight is 350...
Pizza Rat is an internet meme based around a viral video of a brownrat carrying a slice of pizza down the steps of a New York City Subway station in...
Ptyas fusca, commonly known as the white-bellied rat snake or brownrat snake, is a species of colubrid snake. It is found in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia...
laboratory animals in research. Some species, in particular, the brownrat, the black rat, and the house mouse, are serious pests, eating and spoiling food...
The bush rat or Australian bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) is a small Australian nocturnal animal. It is an omnivore and one of the most common indigenous species...
term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. The best-known Rattus species are the black rat (R. rattus) and the brownrat (R....
distinguish brown fur from green grass. The brownrat or Norwegian rat (Rattus norvegicus) is one of the best known and most common rats. The brown bear (Ursus...
which were named after the bandicota rats. The greater bandicoot rat has a dark gray-brown upper parts with a profusion of long, black hairs. Sides are gray...
5 in). These dimensions are about twice as large as those of a typical brownrat (Rattus norvegicus), which suggests about eight times the body mass. The...
needed] Bilby Binturong Black rhinoceros Black rat Black-footed cat Bobcat Brownrat Galago (bushbaby) Bush rat Capybara (some are crepuscular) Caracal Cat...
0.6–2 kg (1+1⁄4–4+1⁄2 lb). That is about four times the weight of the brownrat (Rattus norvegicus), though an adult muskrat is only slightly longer....
February 18, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-20. "Ralph: The World's First Cloned Rat". Brighthub.com. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 2012-12-11. "Scientist: First...
The lesser bandicoot rat, Sindhi rice rat, Bengal rat or Indian mole-rat (Bandicota bengalensis) is a giant rat of Southern Asia, not related to the true...
rat (Rattus argentiventer) is a species of rat found throughout Southeast Asia. The ricefield rat is a medium-sized rat with a grizzled yellow-brown and...
sold for the purpose of killing rodents. While commonly referred to as "rat poison", rodenticides are also used to kill mice, woodchucks, chipmunks,...
as Remy, a bluish gray coloured rat, who complains about the way people treat rats. Peter Sohn as Emile, a brownrat. He loves to eat and sing, and seems...
Baja California rat snake, B. rosaliae (Mocquard, 1899) Trans-Pecos rat snake, B. subocularis (Brown, 1901) Pantherophis spp. Eastern rat snake, P. alleghaniensis...
bats and humans who, in turn, introduced the dingo. The black rat, brownrat, Pacific rat and house mouse were accidentally introduced to Australia with...
monkey species, coyotes, deer, passerines, and other urban wildlife. The brownrat is counted as one of the most prominent synanthropic animals and can be...
The Australian swamp rat (Rattus lutreolus), also known as the eastern swamp rat, is a species of rat native to the coasts of southern and eastern Australia...
Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2009. "BrownRat". Science Daily. Archived from the original on 31 December 2008. Retrieved...
The mountain giant Sunda rat, Sundamys infraluteus (also known as the giant mountain rat or giant rat of Sumatra) is a large rat, around 480 to 640 millimeters...
Allegheny woodrat) are listed as endangered in the state; four (the brownrat, black rat, house mouse, and wild boar) are introduced; three (the gray bat...
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