Interesting Rat Facts

Hearing the word "rat", many people have the image of a dangerous pest and the culprit of large-scale epidemics. Rats are carriers of dangerous diseases and infections. In addition, animals can cause enormous damage to the economy, spoiling food, wooden buildings and electrical wiring. However, in addition to notoriety, the rodent has amazing abilities and qualities. Many facts about rats are sometimes amazing. In addition, do not underestimate the benefits of animals to humans in medicine. Here are some of the most interesting rat facts.

When did the rats appear

According to scientists, rats are the oldest mammals - they appeared much earlier than humans (the time difference is about 48 million years). During this time, the number of rodents almost 2 times exceeded the number of inhabitants of the planet.

There is even an assumption that it was these rodents that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Mammals are accused of being the exterminators of the eggs of giant animals. And eggs, as you know, are one of the most favorite treats of rodents.

Tame wild rats people smog many millennia ago. In some nations, the animal was a symbol of intelligence and quick wit. So, according to Chinese mythology, those people who were born in the year of the Rat shone with a great mind, were prudent and respectful.

Scientists were even able to restore the appearance of the one from whom the rats came. The prehistoric rodent outwardly resembled a very large guinea pig, which was later nicknamed Goya. Long powerful rodent tail assisted him in lifting. It is estimated that the weight of this animal was about 700 kg. As a result, he had to move on straight hind limbs, unlike modern rodents, whose limbs are bent. Eating grass was the main occupation of a prehistoric rat, it was forced to devour plants in large quantities to maintain its overall shape.

Do rats see well

A rat sees a human like a color blind, having an extreme degree of manifestation of the disease. Rodents are practically not able to distinguish the color gamut, and they cannot boast of visual acuity. The world around them in their imagination is various spots that are in place and in motion. Rats have low visionbut the animals have excellent hearing and coordination, they clearly distinguish between the direction and distance of a subtle rustle. The fine scent and touch also does not fail them.

Some facts about rats are simply unbelievable. For example, it is surprising that rodents have the ability to foresee the development of an event - they know what will happen in the future. And when danger is approaching, animals tend to leave the danger zone as soon as possible. This is confirmed by the well-known fact when rats living on the ship in anticipation of the accident of the ship quickly left it. Rats even feel the next air attack or nuclear test, leaving the test site in advance.

Smart animal

Not everyone will believe it, but with its intelligence, the rat surpasses the dog and even the cat. Rodents have a decent sound supply, and each rat squeak has special meaning and is pronounced equally by different individuals.As a result, the communication of mammals looks like real speech, similar to human.

You can also envy the memory of a rodent. The rat is not able to get lost - having overcome a certain path, it can easily go back.

Pure animal

Rats are one of the cleanest creatures in the world. Rodents spend a significant part of the day on personal hygiene, which reduces the likelihood of their illness. The animals are not at all afraid of water; they know how to swim and dive well.

How rats relate to mice

Not every person can distinguish a mouse from a rat, because outwardly they are very similar to each other. However, both of these rodents have their own distinctive characteristics. So mouse is different than rat much smaller, more aggressive and not so smart.

It is also striking that these seemingly brothers could not live together at all. Rats and mice eating each other - a very common picture. After all, these rodents are predators. Their body constantly needs animal protein. Therefore, only a few individuals are able to attack the dog and even bite it. Not excluded also rat attack on humans. Rats eat each other during a severe famine. To satisfy this feeling, a female rat is able to eat even her own baby rats.