Mammals of the WorldRoof Rat
Rattus rattus
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Rattus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Ireland|United Kingdom|Portugal|Spain|France|Netherlands|Luxembourg|Belgium|Germany|Switzerland|Liechtenstein|Austria|Italy|Malta|Slovenia|Czech Republic|Hungary|Croatia|Bosnia and Herzegovina|Serbia|Kosovo|Montenegro|Albania|North Macedonia|Greece|Bulgaria|Romania|Moldova|Ukraine|Belarus|Poland|Lithuania|Latvia|Estonia|Russia|Georgia|Armenia|Azerbaijan|Turkey|Cyprus|Syria|Lebanon|Israel|Palestine|Jordan|Saudi Arabia|Qatar|United Arab Emirates|Oman|Iran|Pakistan|India|Sri Lanka|Nepal|Bhutan|Bangladesh|Morocco|Algeria|Tunisia|Libya|Egypt|Sudan|Ethiopia|Djibouti|Senegal|Gambia|Guinea-Bissau|Guinea|Mali|Sierra Leone|Liberia|Cote d'Ivoire|Ghana|Togo|Benin|Nigeria|Cameroon|Democratic Republic of the Congo|Republic of the Congo|South Sudan|Uganda|Kenya|Rwanda|Burundi|Tanzania|Zambia|Malawi|Mozambique|Angola|Namibia|Zimbabwe|South Africa|Eswatini|Madagascar
- Realm
- Afrotropic|Indomalaya|Palearctic
Other names: Black Rat|Common House Rat|House Rat|Ship Rat
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 12.75–18.25cm; tail 15–22cm
- Weight
- 75–230g
- Diet
- Seeds, fruit, stems, leaves, fungi and invertebrates; also crops such as cereals, sugar cane and coconuts
- Habitat
- Trees and palms, and the upper floors of buildings
- Litter size
- Up to 5 litters in a season
The black or roof rat is a strong climber that prefers to nest in palms and trees, or in the upper floors of houses. Adults measure 12.75–18.25 cm in head and body, not counting a tail of 15–22 cm, and weigh 75–230 g depending on the subspecies. It is an omnivore, eating seeds, fruit, stems, leaves, fungi and invertebrates, and crops such as cereals, sugar cane and coconuts (Wikipedia, general species account).
The species probably originated in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and spread to the Near East, Egypt and then Europe. It breeds year-round, and a female can have up to five litters in a season. In parts of South Asia it is considered sacred, notably at the Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke. Population booms linked to the fruiting of bamboo can devastate subsistence crops, a phenomenon known as mautam in parts of South Asia (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of Korea guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)