Black rats: why does an animal come to a person from a field to a house

What does a black rat look like (photo)

Name: black rat
Latin: rattus rattus

Class: Mammals - Mammalia
Squad: Rodents - Rodentia
Family: Mouse - Muridae

	Habitats:	fields and arable land
	Catering:	everything that comes across
	Features:	their incisors require constant sharpening, so they eat and spoil everything

Animal description

Black rats have noticeable differences from their gray counterparts. First of all, it is their color and size.

Appearance of the animal

Black rats are social creatures.

The body length of a black rat is 15-22 cm, excluding the tail. The tail of a rodent of this species is 7-13 cm longer than the body and is densely covered with hairs. The average body weight of the animal is 130-300 grams.

The muzzle of a black rat is much narrower than that of a pasyuk, and the size of the auricles is larger. The back of the animal is covered with dark or black-brown fur with a metallic sheen of a greenish tint.

On the sides and abdomen, the color is lighter and has an ashen or dirty gray tint. In rare cases, there are specimens with a color of light gray or yellowish on the back, and whitish or beige on the abdomen.

Specific features

In general, all types of rats are similar to each other, but have some distinctive features. Among the features of black rats, it is worth highlighting the following characteristics:

• The diet of the black rat is varied, but unlike the Pasyuk, they prefer plant foods. Because of this feature, the jaws and muscles of the dental apparatus of this rat are less developed;
  

  Black rat.

• this species is more thermophilic than the gray rat, therefore it settles in close proximity to a person’s dwelling;
• black rats are less aggressive than gray ones. In dangerous situations, they prefer to hide and show aggression only when cornered;
• this species crawls very well and often leads a semi-arboreal lifestyle in the wild;
• black rats are less dependent on water and rarely swim.

Habitat

Black rat: a resident of the city and the field.

Rats of this species are found in Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia. In Asia, where the temperate climate prevails, black rats are rare, since this area is the natural habitat of the gray rat.

But the climate of Australia turned out to be especially favorable for the black rat, while the pasyuk did not take root in this area.

On the territory of Russia, the black rat is found in the European part of the country from Arkhangelsk to the Caucasus. The rodent lives:

With the gray rat pasyuk, with which the main character is so often compared, you can meet here.

What harm does a black rat bring to humans

In the wild, the black rat does not have any negative impact on natural communities and often becomes prey for birds of prey and animals. But when settling next to people, the black rat causes the same problems as the pasyuk, namely:

• destroys and spoils food;
• damages buildings, furniture, sewer pipes and other things;
• is a carrier of blood-sucking parasites;
• spreads pathogens of many diseases, such as plague, leptospirosis, visceral leishmaniasis, salmonellosis and others.

Read more in the article: what is the harm to a person from rats.

How to get rid of black rats

Black rats are cunning and intelligent. They bypass traps and traps, have a good sense of smell and smell poison. Therefore, it is necessary to approach the issue of their destruction or expulsion from the site in a comprehensive manner.

Links to articles with detailed instructions, how to get rid of rats in the yard and barn.

Interesting Facts

The black rat has been known to mankind since ancient times, and during this time people have collected many interesting stories and facts about these animals. Among them there are several that simply amaze and even shock:

• on the territory of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the remains of this (or close) species of rats were found, which belong to the Pleistocene era and possibly lived next to mammoths;
• in China and India, a natural phenomenon called "Death of Bamboo" is associated with black rats. It lies in the fact that once every 48 years, there is a surge in the population of these rodents and they eat all the fallen bamboo seeds. As a result, the bamboo forest does not grow the next year;
• during the plague pandemic in Europe, black rats were the main carriers of the deadly infection;
• the mythological animal named "Rat King" has a real prototype. In the habitats of black rats, clusters of rodents are sometimes found, which are connected by their tails. At the same time, the tails of the animals are often broken and damaged. Such "nests" are popularly called "Rat King". Alcoholic "Rat Kings" were even shown in museums in different cities of Europe. One of the largest "Kings" is considered to be found in the city of Buchgait, which consisted of 32 rats.

Rats in the city (photo of the observer).

Conclusion

Getting rid of rats that have appeared is very difficult. These animals are smart, prolific and even show high resistance to many poisonous substances. To prevent their occurrence, you should keep the house clean and tidy. If the first uninvited guests were already noticed, then the fight against them must begin immediately and not let the situation take its course.