Saturday, August 1, 2015

#641: Rat

Rats are medium-sized rodents, most commonly represented by the Rattus Genus. This fellow, the Black Rat, is one of the most known. Along with his cousin the Brown Rat, he has colonised much of the world. These "true" Rats are generalists and scavengers, happy to co-exist with humans and taking advantage of our wasteful habits. Both originated in Asia, but migrated with humans, stowing away on ships and inside cargo. Where the two species co-habit, it is the Brown Rat that generally dominates. The Black prefers warmer climates and leads a more arboreal existence. Both are invasive species and have caused massive damage to biodiversity on islands upon which they have been introduced.

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