The biggest rat in the world
Such a rodent is the woolly Bosavi, which was found by scientists in New Guinea. Its dimensions can reach 1 m and weight up to 1.5 kilograms. They are otherwise called giant marsupial rats.
The woolly Bosavi is similar in size to a small dog. They are not shy and friendly towards humans. This is due to the fact that they were found far from civilization, and the animals had no contact with people. You can even pick them up and stroke them without fear; the rodent will not bite.
Large pet rats
You can often find some types of rats as pets. With different colors, sizes, habits. Keeping rodents does not require large expenses; they are unpretentious. Both special food from a pet store and human food are suitable as food. Unfortunately, they are not long-lived; they live 2-4 years. Therefore, it is not recommended for overly impressionable people to have such a pet. What are the largest domestic rats?
Breed "standard"
They are the largest and most common among domestic rodents. The pet can grow up to 30 cm in length and reach a weight of 300-500 grams. They are friendly towards humans and do not bite.
They quickly get used to it and can sit on their hands or shoulder for hours. Their cage needs to be cleaned at least once a week. There must be fresh water in the drinking bowl, and there must be grain in the feeder. Cases of their friendship with other pets are not uncommon. They live from 2 to 4 years.
Large brown rats
They are also among the large domestic rodents. They grow up to 20 cm in length and weigh 100-150 grams. They are also omnivorous and unpretentious. They love to be taken out for walks. There is a slight inconvenience in this, because not all people have a positive attitude towards rats, even domestic ones. Another disadvantage is that this species lives only 2 years, sometimes up to three years.
Rats "Dumbo"
They differ from other species in the structure and location of their ears. The Dumbo breed's ears are round and wide, protruding, and positioned lower than those of other species. They reach 18-20 cm in length and can weigh from 250 to 500 grams. The body shape of the animals is similar to a pear. Females of this species are slightly smaller. Rodents are very affectionate and can remember their name. They eat grains, greens, vegetables. The Dumbo breed is also fed boiled and raw chicken, fish, and cottage cheese. Rodents live 2-3 years, but with proper care they can live from 4 to 5 years.
They multiply at an incredible rate
Another type of movie monster is distinguished by the fact that it breeds a population of its own kind at an incredible speed. Usually these are alien creatures who intend to fill the entire Earth with themselves in record time. They may appear as shapeless amoebas made of flesh and teeth that reproduce by division, or as hideous winged monsters that lay eggs in human bodies. One thing is constant - they all multiply very quickly.
This group includes James Cameron's Aliens, John Carpenter's The Thing and... that's right, our rats.
One pair of rodents manages to give birth to up to 6,000 cubs in 2–3 years of their life. Less than three months pass before new offspring also begin to reproduce, and so on. Moreover, it is not customary for them for the younger generation to go to seek a better life in foreign lands. If there is enough food, they will not move until they flood the whole city.
By the way, many regions that skimped on pest control during the recession experienced a real rat outbreak. Britain's rat population now stands at around 80 million, up 200 percent from 2007. And even with all modern methods of rodent control, in New York there is at least one rat per person.
Wild big rats that live in Russia
In Russia, rats can be found almost everywhere. They live in natural conditions and often settle near human habitation. Among them are such species as: black and pasyuk (gray).
Pasyuk often lives in sewers, basements, warehouses, and sheds with animals. They grow up to 25 cm, the tail is about the same length. The weight of this species reaches 400 grams. Rarely, but there are individuals weighing 500 grams.
There are known cases when a gray rat attacked a person. True, she does this mainly for self-defense. They are omnivores and accumulate in large numbers in landfills and garbage dumps. They are carriers of various diseases. Capable of chewing through metal and concrete. They multiply very quickly. At the age of three months they are able to bear offspring. The number of pups in a litter reaches 20.
Chernaya settles mainly in the southern regions of Russia. Prefers dry rooms and attics. But in nature it settles near rivers and lakes. And their favorite habitat is sea ships.
The black rat is smaller in size than the Pasyuk. It is up to 22 cm long, with a tail of 28 cm. And the weight of this species is from 130 to 300 g. The coat color is black, hence the name of the species. It eats grains, fruits, vegetables, worms, insects, bird eggs. There can be up to 15 pups in the litter. The lifespan of these rodents in nature is on average 1 year.
Features of rodent teeth
Rat Teeth Rat jaws
are equipped with two types of teeth. Molars are located in the depths of the oral cavity, 3 pieces on each side of the jaw and are intended for grinding food. Flat and wide molars erupt in rat pups on the 19th day of life. First, molars of the first and second types appear, and only on the 40th day do the third ones grow. In front there are 2 pairs of long incisors.
Interesting!
Unlike predators, rats do not have fangs. Their front teeth grow constantly and appear on the 50th day of birth. They are yellow in color. The enamel, located only on the outer surface of the incisors, can be compared in strength to the hardness of steel.
The front teeth need to be constantly ground down, otherwise the rat will not be able to close its mouth. Due to the unevenness of this process, the surface of the cutters acquires a specific shape, reminiscent of a chisel in appearance. The teeth of rats, due to their high strength, allow them to easily overcome any obstacle made of brick, wood, concrete, metal and other materials. When biting, the pressure of the Pasyuk incisors reaches 0.5 t/cm2.
Mutant rats
You can often hear incredible stories about gigantic rodents inhabiting subways and abandoned military facilities. But all this is just a wild fantasy of people who are bored of living without myths. And the yellow press thus attracts readers, increasing the sales of their newspapers and magazines.
Someone, having read it, retells it and exaggerates it to make it look more impressive. In fact, the largest rat in Russia is the Pasyuk. In subway tunnels, at military installations, they are all the same as in everyday life, in full view of people. There may be larger specimens, but this is not the result of mutation, but simply from the “good” life of rodents.
How vision changes with age
Like any other mammal, rats' vision declines with age. This is a natural phenomenon. Rats are not long-lived at all, so already at the age of two they see much worse than young individuals. The older the rodent, the faster the cells in the retina are destroyed. Good nutrition and living conditions will, of course, slow down the loss of vision a little, but this is an irreversible process.
We advise you to find out how to determine the sex of a decorative rat.
It is believed that rats are small, intelligent and incredibly cunning creatures with excellent memory. Despite the fact that their ability to see is not the best and few people can envy this, these rodents easily bypass traps and traps. Over time, they adapted and learned to use the strengths of their so-called “weak” vision.
Animals that look like rats
Almost any rodent can be called a rat. This is facilitated by the rat-like structure of these animals. However, they belong to different species and not to the same species.
Such animals include:
- Capybara. It is the largest rodent in the world. Its appearance simultaneously resembles a rat, a dog and a boar. It reaches a length of 1.35 m, a height of 60 cm, and the weight of adult animals is from 65 to 90 kg.
- Beaver. Lives near bodies of water. It feeds on tree bark and young shoots. It grows up to 1.3 m in length and weighs up to 32 kg.
- Nutria. Lives near bodies of water and is an excellent swimmer. Feeds on plant foods. It grows up to 60 cm in length and weighs up to 12 kg.
- Marmot-boobak. These animals live in deep burrows located in the steppe. They weigh up to 10 kg and reach a length of up to 70 cm. The diet of marmots includes plant foods, as well as insects. Rodents live up to 10 years.
- Mongoose. This animal is also somewhat similar to a rat. Only he has a fluffy tail. It grows, depending on the species, from 18 to 75 cm, weight from 280 g to 5 kg. It lives for about 8 years, but at home or in a zoo it lives twice as long. It feeds mainly on protein foods.
Bamboo
One of the largest species of burrowing rodents. Lives in Southeast Asia. Adults reach forty-eight centimeters in length. They live in burrows underground. They feed on bamboo roots, shoots, and various plants.
You can find information online that a huge bamboo giant rodent was caught in China, weighing eleven kilograms! The rat caught by a resident of the city of Fuzhou had huge three-centimeter fangs and a tail length of thirty centimeters. It is curious that this fact was not recorded by either the Guinness Book of Records or other similar authoritative publications.
Giant Afghani and Pakistani rats
This is another story from the section of myths and legends. It dates back to the 80s, associated with owners of dachshund dogs. As if the behavior of these pets was similar to the habits of rats.
The animals could spontaneously attack the owner and bite him. And when examined by veterinarians, it seemed to turn out that this was not a dachshund at all, but a giant rat from Afghanistan or Pakistan, sold to the owner in order to deceive him.
In fact, the rats in these countries are the same as in Russia. But a rodent has not yet been found in nature that is so similar to a dog.
Gambian marsupial
It is also called the hamster rat. The name of this subspecies comes from the animal’s ability to carry food in its cheek pouches, like a hamster. Lives on the African continent. Giant rodents, the length of individual individuals of which can reach up to ninety centimeters, have a body weight of no more than one and a half kilograms.
Gambian rats tend to be pets. They are also easy to train, which makes it possible for them to be used by special services when searching for explosives.
Prehistoric rats
Scientists have found that ancient rodents lived in South, Central and southern North America. From excavations of skeletons, it was found that prehistoric rats were much larger than their modern relatives. Externally similar to beaver, capybara, pacarana. Ancient rats (telikomys, phoberomys) grew up to 2 m, and their weight reached 680 kg. Mostly ancient individuals ate plant foods, but there were species with other preferences.
Rats are very interesting, and having studied their habits, a person will not be so wary of them. Rodents are used in laboratories, and in some countries they are eaten. But there are also countries where rats are revered and protected as sacred animals. There is even a temple in India where rats are fed, watered and protected from trouble. Now you know which rats are truly the largest in the world.
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Potoroo
This is a fairly large species of the Kangaroo rat family. The size of its body is from 25 to 41 cm. Potoroo are nocturnal animals. During the day they live in shallow burrows. They feed on various plants, fungi and insects. Like all animals of the marsupial order, female potoroos have a well-developed brood pouch, in which they carry their young for four months.
Externally, the animals are similar to the musky kangaroo rat. The only difference is the presence of long hairs on the tail of the potoroo. The animal's long, developed hind legs, as well as its movement by jumping, make it look like a kangaroo.
Potoroo can be found in Australia, as well as on the island of Tasmania.
