10 Facts About Rats

1.

Rats are bigger than most Old World mice, which are their relatives, but seldom weigh over.

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2.

Rats have long been held up as the chief villain in the spread of the Bubonic Plague; however, recent studies show that rats alone could not account for the rapid spread of the disease through Europe in the Middle Ages.

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3.

Rats have the ability to swim up sewer pipes into toilets.

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4.

Rats can serve as zoonotic vectors for certain pathogens and thus spread disease, such as bubonic plague, Lassa fever, leptospirosis, and Hantavirus infection.

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5.

Rats are associated with human dermatitis because they are frequently infested with blood feeding rodent mites such as the tropical rat mite and spiny rat mite, which will opportunistically bite and feed on humans, where the condition is known as rat mite dermatitis.

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6.

Rats are found in nearly all areas of Earth which are inhabited by human beings.

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7.

Rats are seen as vicious, unclean, parasitic animals that steal food and spread disease.

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8.

Rats are often used in scientific experiments; animal rights activists allege the treatment of rats in this context is cruel.

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9.

Rats are frequently blamed for damaging food supplies and other goods, or spreading disease.

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10.

Rats are often cast in vicious and aggressive roles when in fact, their shyness helps keep them undiscovered for so long in an infested home.

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