Species: Rattus rattus
Roof Rat
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Rodentia
Family
Muridae
Genus
Rattus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Black Rat - Rata Negra - rat noir
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Rodents
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae - Rattus - taxonomy and phylogeny.
Ecology and Life History
Migration
true - false - false
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Very opportunistic feeder on plant/animal foods; partial to grain.
Reproduction Comments
Breeds throughout the year. Gestation lasts 21 days. Produces several litters of 6-22 (average around 8-9) young per year; average reported as 6.5 in Hawaii (see Kramer 1971).
Ecology Comments
Home range less than an acre. Summer density estimated at 72/ha and 346/ha on two grids in Puerto Rico (Zwank and Layton 1989).
Length
46
Weight
350
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
2006-02-14
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-15
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=SE&CA.BC=SE&CA.NB=SE&CA.NS=SE&CA.ON=SE&US.AL=SE&US.AZ=SE&US.AR=SE&US.DE=SE&US.DC=SE&US.GA=SE&US.IL=SE&US.IN=SE&US.KS=SE&US.LA=SE&US.MD=SE&US.MA=SE&US.MS=SE&US.NV=SE&US.NJ=SE&US.NM=SE&US.NY=SE&US.NC=SE&US.OK=SE&US.OR=SE&US.PA=SE&US.RI=SE&US.TN=SE&US.TX=SE&US.UT=SE&US.VA=SE&US.WA=SE&US.WV=SE" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Native to the Indian Peninsula; introduced worldwide in the temperate zone and parts of the tropical and subantarctic zones (Musser and Carleton, in Wilson and Reeder 2005).