What are rats? The rat is gray. Rats decorative

From time immemorial, these clever, clever and, of course, artful animals have been and continue to be a serious problem of all mankind. In the Middle Ages, they were a whole natural disaster! Who are they? Of course, rats. In the house, in the vegetable garden and in warehouses, these creatures are causing serious damage to food and au pair, creating us great problems.

They were excommunicated from the church ...

Once these creatures kept small and big cities in awe. In the XIII-XV centuries, they in general were the primary cause of death of the population from various infectious diseases, for example, cholera. The famous naturalist Russenel once compared the invasion of rats with attacks of the hordes of Attila and Genghis Khan.

As soon as mankind did not fight with 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 rats were even excommunicated from the church, calling on all their kind a curse from heaven! These rodents number about 64 different species, but in general only three are known: the rat is gray, black and white (ornamental).

The most famous rats

As we said above, the most common species of these rodents are the black rat and gray, or the pasyuk. The second kind can be called and in another way: ship, or Dutch. The first reach a length of 40 centimeters, of which 20 centimeters falls on a long tail.

The second species is much larger: gray rats grow to a length of 45 centimeters, having a tail of 19 centimeters in length. Another species of these rodents is the white rat. She was artificially bred by a man in the laboratory. We'll talk about it later.

Their legendary past

It can be said without exaggeration that gray and black rats have a legendary combat past. In the Middle Ages, in the literal sense of the word, they captured the whole of Europe, devouring in huge quantities food supplies, thereby dooming cities and villages to starvation. Gray rats in 1722 generally made a whole trip from the Caspian Sea straight to Italy.

The lifestyle of gray and black rats

These rodents live everywhere: on the globe there is almost no zone free from rats. Is that the polar regions - the Arctic and the Antarctic. Especially well they feel next to the person. Rats are ugly and prolific creatures to the point of disgrace. For example, one female is able to bring a brood, consisting of hundreds of similar ones, in exactly one year. That's why the rat is considered an ineradicable animal!

Gray and black rats perfectly tolerate even the most difficult living conditions. These rodents are extremely tenacious creatures. They do not care about frost, water, cold or hunger. Just think: rats do not stop even radiation! It is interesting that on one of the islands where the military conducted a nuclear test, rats not only did not die, but also bred in huge quantities! Scientists have fixed 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's abandoned. A black rat can generally occupy natural natural shelters (stumps, snags, hollows) and nests of certain birds. They live as single, and forming whole territorial groups.

What do rats eat?

The absolute majority of these creatures are omnivores. But, of course, even among the rats there are true gourmets: in some species there are certain preferences in food. While some prefer purely vegetable food (vegetables, fruits and seeds), others gladly eat mollusks, insects and other small invertebrates.

Cannibalism in rats

In addition to humans, rats also 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 rats-parents devour their bloody cubs, and sometimes it is the other way around.

The Rat King

Zoologists for the time being can not 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 paws and tails. In the "rat king" every rat is involved. A large pile of these creatures can include up to 60-70 individuals.

Live all the representatives of the "Rat King" at the expense of the offerings of other kinsmen. Why? Because they themselves, even with all their desire can not move: their paws and tails are literally chained. Scientists are trying to find an answer to this riddle of nature, but so far they have failed. No wonder they say that one of the most intelligent 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 arranged so-called rat-dog fights. Decorative rodents fought against terriers for life and death. After a while, they began to conduct certain experiments. So the name "laboratory rat" appeared.

Nowadays, these rodents are increasingly gaining popularity as companion animals. Already a large number of their varieties have been produced, having their own coat color (for example, a white rat), a definite body structure and the so-called marking - white spots on the base color.

The difference between decorative rats and wild

The differences between these rodents are very significant. Let's see how the decorative rats differ from their wild relatives.

1. Decorative individuals are pure white or mixed color (white with black and red spots). Geneticists say that random mutations can occur in the wild between a domestic and wild rat, but they are rare.
2. Rats are decorative, compared to wild ones - these are the most serene creatures. Their behavior is markedly different. They are more tame, since they are initially deduced by the person in laboratories, getting used to it already from the first days of life.
3. Decorative rats are more prolific than wild ones. Yes, and the mass of their body at times exceeds the mass of ordinary gray and black rats.
4. Rodents, domesticated by man, prefer to sleep at night, while wild, on the contrary, go out hunting.
5. In the brawl, gray and black rats make sharper and loud sounds, while decorative ones only slightly poppish.

The most important difference between domesticated rodents and wildlife is their life expectancy. The first live much longer than the second, and this is due, above all, to the conditions of their dwelling. The fact is that decorative rodents have constant access to water and food, and are also completely protected from predators.

They have a refuge, they receive timely medical help. Alas, their wild relatives do not see such blessings as their own ears. The average life expectancy of domestic rats is about 2 years, while wild life in most cases do not live up to a year ...