Knowra Brown rat Brown rat The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is a highly adaptable rodent native to northern China and neighboring regions. It spread worldwide and thrives in human settlements.
Rattus : Rattus is a genus of rodents that includes several species commonly called rats. The brown rat is one of the genus’s best-known species.
Rat reproduction : Rat reproduction includes mating, pregnancy, birth, and care of pups in species of rats. Frequent breeding and large litters let brown rat populations recover quickly.
Laboratory rat : A laboratory rat is a rat bred or maintained for scientific research and testing. The brown rat is the ancestor of most rats used in laboratories.
Black Death : The Black Death was a pandemic that devastated populations across Eurasia and North Africa in the fourteenth century. Brown rats are often associated with plague history, though the role of rats and fleas varies by outbreak.
Black rat : The black rat (Rattus rattus) is a slender rat species associated with ships, buildings, and warm regions. It is the other widespread commensal rat and is often confused with the brown rat.
Rodent : A rodent is a mammal whose continuously growing incisors are adapted for gnawing. The brown rat’s gnawing teeth and jaw structure are characteristic rodent traits.
Rat communication : Rat communication uses sounds, scents, touch, and body posture to convey information. Brown rats use scent marking and vocal signals to coordinate social life.
Wistar rat : The Wistar rat is an outbred laboratory rat strain developed at the Wistar Institute. This widely used strain descends from brown rats and became a standard research model.
Yersinia pestis : Yersinia pestis is the bacterium that causes plague. Brown rats can host plague-infected fleas, linking them to some plague transmission cycles.
House mouse : The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a small rodent that commonly lives alongside people. It shares human environments with brown rats but belongs to a different genus and is much smaller.
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