BROWN RAT

BROWN RAT FACT SHEET

Like its cousin the black rat, it destroys crops. It has a lifestyle quite similar to the black rat in that it lives in a colony close to a water source, but it is a very bad climber; you will not find it in your attics. It will stay in the lower parts of buildings, especially in the sewer system, hence its nickname of sewer rat.

• It is a stocky rodent of the Muridae family.
• It has a long body of about 25 cm and a tail of about the same size.
• As an adult, it weighs about 350 g. It is therefore larger and heavier than its close relative the black rat
• The overmulot lives about 4 years for a male and 2 to 3 years for a female.
• It has a bad sight, which it compensates by a very developed sense of smell.

Like the mouse and the black rat, it reproduces a lot throughout the year, we can count 4 to 7 litters of 7 to 14 young per year.

It is omnivorous and its diet can be compared to that of humans. It is the rodent most familiar to humans and the one that lives most near us, taking advantage of our food to ensure its development, it is therefore the one that also causes the most nuisance.

It is a nocturnal animal, if we notice its presence during the day, it will be early in the morning or just at dusk. It looks for its food in the sewers or dumps. It digs burrows and lives near places where humans live. Its diet revolves around fruits, grains and meats. The overmulot lives in very hierarchical colonies with codes of conduct.

The rat urinates on its fellow rats; for the dominant it is a way to mark its place, but it also happens that the dominated urinate on each other to accept each other. The social ritual of cleaning up is very important in the overmulot. When the dominant is there, he decides when the toilet starts and when it stops.

He has a very aggressive and even dangerous behavior for whoever rubs up against him! He is a formidable opponent in a fight: excellent runner, he covers 100m in less than 10 seconds, able to make jumps up to 2 meters and to swim 72 hours!

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

The plague is not transmitted by rats but by fleas that parasitize certain species, including the Norway rat. The lack of hygiene does the rest. However, it is undeniable that some rodents can carry serious diseases. The nice squirrel that we find so beautiful can also transmit plague and tularemia.