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 are capable of causing tremendous damage to the farm, spoiling food, wooden buildings and electrical wiring. However, in addition to notoriety, the rodent has amazing abilities and qualities. Many facts about rats are simply amazing. In addition, do not underestimate the benefits of animals for humans in medicine.Here are some of the most interesting facts about rats.

When the rats appeared

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

There is even a suggestion that it was these rodents that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Mammals are accused of being the exterminators of eggs of giant animals. And eggs, as is known, are one of the most favorite delicacies of rodents.

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

Rats

Scientists could even restore the appearance of those from whom the rats originated. The prehistoric rodent outwardly resembled a very large guinea pig, which was later called Goya. Rodent's long powerful tail assisted him in lifting. It is assumed that the weight of this animal was about 700 kg.As a result, he had to move on straight hind limbs, in contrast to modern rodents, whose limbs are half-bent. Eating grass was the main occupation of the prehistoric rat, it was forced to devour plants in large quantities to maintain its overall shape.

Do rats see well

He sees a rat like a person who is blind and has an extreme degree of manifestation of the disease. Rodents are hardly capable of distinguishing colors, and they cannot boast of visual acuity. The world around them in their imaginations are different spots that are in place and in motion. Rat eyesight is weakbut animals have excellent hearing and coordination, they clearly distinguish the direction and distance of a barely perceptible rustle. The thin scent and touch does not bring them also.

Some facts about rats are just incredible. For example, it is surprising that rodents have the ability to anticipate the development of a particular event - they know what will happen in the future. And when danger approaches, the animals tend to leave the danger zone as quickly as possible.This is confirmed by the well-known fact that the rats living on the ship in anticipation of the accident of the ship quickly left it. Rats even feel another air attack or nuclear test, leaving the range in advance.

Smart animal

Rats and mice

Not everyone will believe in it, but with its intelligence a rat is superior to a dog and even a cat. Rodents have a decent sound margin, each rat squeak It has a special meaning and is equally pronounced by different individuals. As a result, the communication of mammals looks like real speech, like 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 among the cleanest creatures in the world. Personal hygiene rodents devote a significant part of the day, which reduces the likelihood of their disease. The animals are not afraid of water at all, they can swim and dive well.

How do rats treat mice

Far from everyone can distinguish a mouse from a rat, because outwardly they very much resemble each other. However, both of these rodents have their own distinctive characteristics. So the mouse is different from the rat much smaller, more aggressive and not so clever.

It is striking that these seemingly unclean brothers absolutely cannot live together. Rats and mice eating each other - the picture is very common. After all, these rodents are predators. Their bodies are constantly in need of 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 strong famine. To quench this feeling, the female rat is able to eat even her own rat pups.