Rats
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When people think of rats, most of them will say words like, 'Yuck!, or 'Ick!', or they might use phrases like, 'Rats are disgusting!', 'Oh, rats are horrible!' They're dirty, filthy!, or 'They make my skin crawl!'
Rats do have a history of causing harm, destruction, and even death to humans. Rats have often been portrayed as hideous vermin in stories and movies. When one person thinks badly about another person, he or she might even refer to him as a 'rat'.
Some people hate rats. Other people think they're cool. Even though they're small compared to other animals, they have many abilities other animals don't have. What are these abilities? Let me tell you what I have learned about rats.
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Rats have teeth that never stop growing. And with these teeth, rats have chewing power strong enough to chew through computer cables and even through cement!
People should try to keep their distance from rats though, because with their powerful jaws come an extra danger. Rats carry diseases that can kill other animals, including humans. Sometimes tens of thousands of people at one time can be killed by rats who are carrying a disease.
How can animals as small as rats get close enough to people and other large animals to hurt them? Rats are nocturnal, which means they are active at night, when most other animals are asleep. Rats have strong night vision which lets them see well in the dark. That means they can usually see better than animals they are sneaking up on, or are stealing from.
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Rats are also fast runners. Rats can run faster than most people can. You can imagine that this ability would help rats get away from people and other animals that are their natural predators.
What do rats eat? Well, rats are omnivorous, which means they will eat plants like corn, and foods that come from plants, like breakfast cereal. But omnivores like rats also eat animals, including pigeons and even other rats!
Where do rats live? Rats are found throughout North America. The brown rat originated in Asia. It is believed that these mammals came to the United States and its neighboring countries on ships that sailed from Asia hundreds of years ago.
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The rat population has increased rapidly. Female rats are able to produce between 100 and 200 young in their lifetimes. Rats live an average of two years. Despite the fact that people have tried to get rid of rats from their cities and farms, rats have used their survival skills to stay alive and grow in number.
In cities, rats have been found living in sewer pipes, between walls, in attics, in basements, where boats dock, and in restaurants. Really, in any place where they can find food, and that includes trash dumpsters and dumps, where trash trucks are driven away from cities to bury their trash.
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Rats that live in cities are smart. While they try to stay hidden from humans to stay alive, they stay close enough to find, and live off, the food humans leave behind.
Rats are destructive. It is estimated that rats destroy over $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars) worth of food and property every year. Even though people spend lots of time and money trying to get rid of them, rats keep coming back.
