Rats are very intelligent animals with good memory.When solitarily, they tend to become depressed, anxious and stressed. Rats are also careful with injured and sick members of the pack. They are known to engage in group plays and sleep curled up together. Rats are highly social animals that enjoy the company of both conspecifics and humans.The Black rat is also called 'Roof rat' due to constructing its nests high in roof spaces.The Black rat has a rather negative impact on the local ecosystem: this animal has become the reason for the extinction of numerous birds, small mammals, reptiles, invertebrates as well as plants, particularly on islands. Overall, Black rats’ numbers are stable today, and the species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. However, according to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species resource, Great Britain's population size is around 1,300 individuals, including up to 1,000 individuals on the Shiant Islands, Hebrides. This is largely due to fleas on their body, which carry multiple diseases that are extremely dangerous for humans and livestock.Īccording to IUCN, the Black rat is abundant and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. The 'Black Death' or bubonic plague, which took millions of human lives in medieval times, was spread by the Black rats. Furthermore, they simply destroy what they don't eat. As pests, they are known to consume crops, destroying farms and fruit trees. In addition, these animals are very dangerous to humans. The Black rats are killed by people as pests. Black rats also have developed senses of vision, hearing, touch, and smell. They leave oil marks in order to define territorial boundaries. These rats are also very vocal animals: they are known to give out squeaking sounds when threatened or when communicating with conspecifics. Individuals within the pack establish dominance through aggressive threat postures and physical contact. They are excellent climbers, due to which those living in urban areas can make their homes high on the upper floors of buildings. Black rats can be either arboreal or terricolous, depending on geographical location. Female rats are considerably more aggressive than males. Meanwhile, the dominant male doesn't submit to them and often forms a separate linear male hierarchy. These females lead the pack and dominate all members of the group. They are highly social animals, forming 'packs' - groups of two or more dominant females and several males, one of which is dominant. They often meet and forage together in close proximity within and between sexes. Black rats are also found around fences, ponds, riverbanks, streams, and reservoirs.īlack rats are normally nocturnal and tend to forage after sunset. They are great climbers and prefer to live in palms and trees, such as pine trees. In the wild, Black rats live in cliffs, rocks, the ground, and trees. In urban areas, they prefer to live in dry upper levels of buildings, so they are commonly found in wall cavities and false ceilings. They are also found in agricultural areas, such as in barns and crop fields. In urban areas, they are found around warehouses, residential buildings, and other human settlements. Black rats adapt to a wide range of habitats. Since these animals are found through human seafaring, they most frequently occur in coastal areas. In course of time, however, they have been introduced to all continents due to human travel. Black rats are thought to be native Indian and Indo-Malayan species. Mangrove, Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub, Taiga, Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, Temperate coniferous forest, Temperate grasslands, Tropical dry forest, Tundraīlack rats are widely distributed around the globe, occurring on all continents.
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