RATTUS RATTUS : RAT

It is a common rat inhabiting holes and burrows in houses and in cultivated fields. It feeds on stored grains,seeds, fruit, stems, leaves, fungi, and a variety of invertebrates and vertebrates . In parts of India, it is considered sacred and respected in the Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke. Black rats are also found around fences, ponds, riverbanks, streams, and reservoirs.

GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF RATTUS RATTUS : RAT

Commonly called as black rat. also known as ship rat, roof rat, or house rat.
Body divisible into head, neck, trunk and tail.
Head contains ears, eyes, nostrils, and snout with long moustache or vibrissae.
Body and limbs covered with hairs.
Pinnae well developed. Eyes sharp.
This black rat exhibits several colour forms. It is usually black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside.
Tail is elongated and scaly.
Incisor teeth chisel-like, open-rooted, used for gnawing. Canines absent.
It is a predatory species and adapts to different micro-habitats.
Black rats (or their ectoparasites) can carry a number of pathogens, of which bubonic plague (via the Oriental rat flea), typhus, Weil’s disease, toxoplasmosis and trichinosis are the best known.
They are great climbers and prefer to live in palms and trees, such as pine trees.
Viviparous.

Special features

Rat destroys the crop and stored grains. It also spreads typhus fever and plague. It acts as carrier of these diseases. Rat has great experimental value. It is largely used in various biophysical and biochemical studies. It also acts as intermediate host for various helminthic diseases.