Black rat

The black rat (Rattus rattus, also known as the ship rat, roof rat, house rat, Alexandrine rat, old English rat, and other names) is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus (rats) in the subfamily Murinae (murine rodents). The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.

Black rats are generalist omnivores. They are serious pests to farmers as they eat a wide range of agricultural crops.

Taxonomy

The black rat was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original tautonym of Rattus rattus. It is the type species of the genus Rattus.

Description

A typical adult black rat is 12.75 to 18.25 cm (5.02–7.19 in) long, including a 6.5 to 10 cm (2.6–3.9 in) tail, and weighs 110 to 340 g (4–12 oz). Despite its name, the black rat exhibits several colour forms. It is usually black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. In England during the 1920s, several variations were bred and shown alongside domesticated brown rats. This included an unusual green tinted variety. The black rat also has a scraggly coat of black fur, and is slightly smaller than the brown (Norway) rat.

Rattus Rattus (album)

Rattus Rattus is an album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow.

Track listing

All music composed by Masami Akita.

Personnel

References