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.
The Rats (novel)
The Rats (1974) is a horror novel written by British writer James Herbert. This was Herbert's first novel and included graphic depictions of death and mutilation. A film adaptation was made in 1982, called Deadly Eyes. A 1985 adventure game for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum based on the book was published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd and produced by Five Ways Software Ltd.The Rats was followed by two sequels, Lair and Domain.
Background
Herbert became inspired to write The Rats in early 1972, whilst watching Tod Browning's Dracula; specifically, after seeing the scene where Renfield describes a nightmare he had involving hordes of rats. Linking the film to childhood memories he had of rats in the London suburbs, Herbert stated in later interviews that he wrote the book primarily as a pastime; "It seemed like a good idea at the time, I was as naive as that." The manuscript was typed by Herbert's wife Eileen, who sent it off after nine months to nine different publishers.
Plot summary
'Black Rat' is featured as a movie character in the following productions:
Through My Eyes (2004)
Actors: Stephen Anderton (actor), Aaron Blabey (actor), Andrew Blain (actor), Graeme Blundell (actor), Grant Bowler (actor), Tim Boyle (actor), Jonnie Cocks (actor), Andrew Cole (actor), Robert Coleby (actor), Nicholas Cooper (actor), Aaron Davison (actor), Michael Edward (actor), David Edwards (actor), Jerome Ehlers (actor), Aash Aaron (actor),
Genres: Drama,Black Rat
ALBUMS
- Renegade released:
Give Hope
Let's give them more hope
They deserve more
They deserve more
Let's give them more hope
We'll give them more
At troubled times like these
I know it's hard to stay strong
But we must, to see this through
With a fragile heart like yours
The eyes of the world will know for sure
We'll make it, we'll make it
Oh we have what it takes
To not tell them, what they wanna hear
To let go, the dreams disappear
Break them down just to build them up
Let's give hope
And not tell them, what they wanna hear
To let go, the dreams disappear
Break them down just to build them up
Let's give hope
If anybody ever gets in the way, or blocks a path we've
been given
We'll take it, we'll break it
Oh we have what it takes
To not tell them, what they wanna hear
To let go, the dreams disappear
Break them down just to build them up
Let's give hope
And not tell them, what they wanna hear
To let go, the dreams disappear
Break them down just to build them up
Let's give hope
The only way to make it
Is believing in yourself
The only way to pull through
Is detaching the weight of the world off your back
The only way to make it
Is believing in yourself
The only way to pull through
Is detaching the weight of the world off your back
Let's give them more hope
They deserve more
They deserve more
Let's give them hope
We'll give them more
I know it's hard to stay strong
But we must to see this through
To not tell them, what they wanna hear
To let go, the dreams disappear
Break them down just to build them up
Let's give hope
And not tell them, what they wanna hear
To let go, the dreams disappear
Break them down just to build them up