Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
The brown rat has grey-ish brown fur; a prominent muzzle, eyes, ears, and a long bare tail. The brown rat is native to central Asia and introduced to the British Isles around 1720. It has since spread through the British Isles, and much of the temperate world, carried by humans in ships.
The current population size estimate for the brown rat may be lacking, as population density and percentage occupancy are based on limited evidence, only associated with rats dwelling in urban areas and houses. The estimate doesn’t account for populations in other types of man-made structures.
Figure 1. Map of the UK showing brown rat distribution (green). (Mathews et al. 2018)
You can help us monitor populations of brown rat and their growing population by downloading the Mammal Mapper app and participating in our latest project “Walk This Water Way”. All you need to do is walk at least 600m of waterway and record your sightings in the app. Enter the survey id WTWW and get going!
Need a little nudge to get out surveying? What if we tell you that the first 50 people to submit 5 or more surveys will receive some lovely photos of our target species and a Mammal Society pin badge! On top of that – the user who logs the most surveys with the survey ID WTWW will get a prize bundle. There’s a separate bundle for the user who logs the most surveys in the UK, and the user who logs the most in Sussex! So, what are you waiting for? Download the Mammal Mapper App and get recording!
More information about Walk This Water Way can be found here.
Fun Facts!
- The brown rat is an omnivore and will consume almost anything, cereals form a substantial part of its diet.
- Foraging behavior is often population-specific, and varies with environment and food source.
- Rats dig their own burrows.
- Reproduction is observed all year round in human dwellings.
