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INFOGRAPHIC: Fascinating RAT Facts

With all the rat talks lately and their ongoing problems in the area, we were curious to learn more about them. Yes, we run and scream when we see a rat scampering by but there's more to these critters than meets the eye. Most of us view them as disgusting, filthy creatures that are associated with disease - while others say they make great, affectionate pets!
The truth is, rats are not only very smart and are known for their problem-solving skills but they aren't as filthy as we think either. Read on to learn more fascinating facts about rats...

"True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus.


  • Rats wash themselves several times a day - about as often as most cats, if not more!


  • Did you know a group of rats is referred to as a 'mischief'?
  • Rats can chew through glass, cinderblocks, wire, aluminum and lead! 



  • Rats have a bellybutton.
  • Rat testicles are 2 times the size of those of a 400 pound gorilla.

  • Rats are much larger than mice, often three to four times as large, and mice don’t live as long as rats.
  • A rat can fall as far as 50 feet and land uninjured. 
  • Jacko, a 13 pound bull terrier, killed 100 rats in 5 minutes and 28 second in 1862.
  • The rat is the first animal in the Chinese Zodiac.
  • Rats are known to carry over 70 diseases, including cholera, typhus and cowpox.
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Empathy in Rats




When it's all said and done, we have to be grateful to rats for one thing - saving millions of lives. They have contributed to more cures in research labs around the world, than any other animal.


Additional sources: ratbehavior | sciencedaily | ratgenotype


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