Black rats
Content
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- Black rat
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- Breeding rats
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- Rodent life
In the 14th century, one third of the population of Europe died, partly through the fault of black rats. The animal smashed a deadly infection - the plague. Now the rodent is less likely to appear among humans, giving way to a larger relative - pasyuku. But it remains a dangerous pest because it destroys food supplies, damages trees and suffers serious diseases.
What it looks like
The black rat is small in size. The length of her body does not exceed 22 centimeters, and the weight ranges from 130 to 400 grams. The tail of the pest is longer than the body and grows up to 29 cm.It is covered with thick wool. The color is the same from above and below.
Interesting!
This kind of rat is the smallest and agile.
Rodent muzzle elongated with black eyes. The ears are round, larger in size than in the Pasyuk, but smaller than the mouse. They are thin, painted pink and lightly covered with wool.
The color of the black rat is of two kinds:
- Dark, close to black. Margin hair with a metallic sheen. Abdomen ashy or gray.
- Color like Pasyuk, but a bit lighter. Tummy white or light yellow.
Paws animal short. The hind limbs are larger than the fore. Fingers tenacious and possess sharp claws. Thanks to them, the rat masterly moves on any surface.
Photos of the black rat demonstrate how much it differs from the Pasyuk.
Where lives
The rodent is not tied to a single habitat. The black rat gets into the ships, trains and planes. She runs across the thin wires, climbs the walls and slides a curious face into any slot.
The most common types are:
- Ceylon It lives on the island of Sri Lanka.
- Asian Distributed in Asia, Afghanistan, India.
- Mauritian. Lives on the island of Mauritius.
- Oceanic. Settled around the world thanks to man.
The black rat, unlike the gray fellow, is not tied to the source of water. Therefore, she likes to settle in the attics or upper floors of apartment buildings.
Interesting!
When in the villages they built huts and covered them with straw, rats made nests there. For this they are called roofing.
They prefer to live in warm seaside cities and ports, populating the upper floors of administrative buildings.
In places where the black rat lives, there must be appropriate conditions for a rapid increase in the population:
- warm climate;
- availability of food;
- access to water;
- lack of natural enemies.
In nature, a black rat can be found in the forest. A cunning crooks does not dig holes, but it can take someone else’s, if its former owners have left it. The animal prefers to create spherical nests of grass, branches and foliage on shrubs or small trees.
The mammal moves well in the trees and can live in a hollow. But the black rat does not like to swim. Therefore, in the water it moves in rare cases.
Black and gray rats rarely meet each other. But the second larger, aggressive and prolific.They oust the congener from the territory. Therefore, the animal population is reduced.
Breeding
Black rats are less prolific than other rodent species. In nature, they do not breed in winter and give three litters per year. The number of rat pups is, on average, six. In rare cases, the female brings 11 calves.
Individuals living in warm houses breed throughout the year. The female gives birth three to five times in 12 months. The number and survival rate of the rat pups is slightly larger than that of the animals living in the forest.
Toddlers are born helpless:
- their ears and eyes are closed;
- antennae absent;
- the tail is short and thick;
- thermoregulation function is not developed.
Mother licks babies and feeds them with breast milk.
Interesting!
Feeling the approach of childbirth, the female builds a nest and makes a supply of food near it.
After two weeks, the pups open their eyes. Their body is overgrown with wool. A thin mustache appears near the nose. Independence rat pups begin to exercise on the twentieth day. After thirty days, the brood of the black rat becomes independent.
Puberty animals reach 3-5 weeks. But at this age they still continue to develop.Only a year later mammals reach their maximum size.
Nutrition
Black rats are picky about food. They are wary of unfamiliar products, which complicates the fight against them. A man has to go on tricks to outwit a mischievous and feed him poison for rats.
On a note!
If one of the family receives harm from a new product, the rest of the tails will bypass the bait.
In nature, black rats can eat worms or clams. Rodents climb trees and destroy bird nests in search of eggs. In households, the pest is harmful to chicken houses and quail farms. Therefore, any farmer knows how to deal with rats in the hen house or chicken house.
The basic diet includes:
- seeds;
- cereals;
- fruits;
- nuts.
A rat does not hesitate to feast on the remnants of human food, if it does not harm her body. On the day the animal eats 15 g of food. The lack of water black rat endures poorly. This explains her desire to live in port cities and on ships. The daily rate of fluid reaches 20 ml.
The mammal is immune to some rat poison. The animal will not be able to kill the zinc arsenic or phosphide.
Lifestyle
The active black rat becomes at night. The person determines the presence of a pest in the housing by rustling, rat squeak and scrape sounds.
Rat lifespan depends on habitat:
- in nature, pests live for 1-2 years;
- in captivity, the animal is able to live to four years.
Rodents do not gather in large flocks. They prefer to settle in small groups - five to seven individuals. Each clan has a hierarchy. In the group there are:
- dominant;
- subdominant;
- subordinate male.
Mammals can live anywhere in the world. They build nests in the ceiling of the house, elevator shafts, attics. Individuals that do not belong to the pack, the animals are driven from their territory.
Interesting!
People found rats in freezers. There rodents built nests of animal tendons.
Black rats are not as aggressive as the Pasyuki fighting inside the group. With the danger of these rats can even attack humans. The black species prefers to escape. But if he was caught or cornered, he would try to defend himself and attack.
Spread
Previously, the black rat lived only in North Africa and in the subtropical zones of Eurasia.With the help of a human, the rodent has spread throughout the world. Now the habitat of the animal is reduced. But in regions with a warm climate, the animal continues to actively reproduce.
The spread of the pest occurs in the following ways:
- Through cargoes transported by people by land, water and air transport.
- Alone on the roads and railways.
On the day, tiny feet run several kilometers. The rat quickly finds a comfortable place to live and acquires a pack.
The enemies
The animal is not a predator. Other animals hunt for it: owls, cats, snakes. Pasyuks also affect the decrease in the population of black rats. Owners of private houses specially turn on a cat so that it helps to fight the pest.
Interesting!
In the villages, the litter of kittens from the rat trap is often lined up. Cat teaches kids to hunt rodents.
People use not only the services of cats. Terriers are a breed of dog bred to hunt and kill rats.
Harm to man
Mammals harm agricultural land by destroying grain and crops. The animals gnaw seeds, foliage and young stems. In the gardens, they gnaw the bark of trees.
Residents of apartments, black kids, too, bring a lot of trouble. They gnaw hardwood floors, spoil the wires, destroy food. Fight rats in the apartment the occupation is time consuming and costly.
During the transport of products, the pest gnaws tare and pollutes food with excrement. Like other rodent species, black rats carry many dangerous infections.
The description of the black rat tells the person how to fight the cunning invader. The pest is smart and careful. He will not approach suspicious objects and will not be tempted by the bait that does not inspire confidence. We have to constantly invent new methods of dealing with a rodent.
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