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<div>{{Taxonomy<br />
|name=Rats<br />
|kingdom=Animalia<br />
|phylum=Chordata<br />
|class=Mammalia<br />
|order=Rodentia<br />
|superfamily=Muroidia<br />
|family=Muridae<br />
|subfamily=Murinae<br />
|genus=Rattus<br />
}}<br />
<br />
A '''rat''' is a medium-sized [[rodent]] found on all inhabited [[continent]]s. They live on garbage in slums and are also often known to carry disease. The [[bubonic plague]] which killed one third the population of Europe is attributed to rats which [[disease carrier|carried]] plague-infected<br />
fleas living in their fur. The [[taxonomy|genus]] ''Rattus'' includes over 50 species.<br />
<br />
Rats are capable of surviving in a wide range of different environments ranging from grasslands, forests, urban settlements, ships, and the unforgiving [[arctic]]. They tend to thrive around [[human beings]].<br />
Rats can survive on an extremely diverse diet, including [[seed]]s, [[fruit]]s, small [[bird]]s and [[mammal]]s, scraps and even garbage.<br />
<br />
==Domesticated rats== <br />
Scientific laboratories frequently use rats for studies of behavioral psychology, as well as the effects of drugs or radiation. <br />
<br />
Rats can be kept as pets, although it is unwise for a child to try to tame a wild rat found in a slum. Like gerbils and hamsters, they must be raised in a sterile environment before being brought into your home, lest an accidental bite infect you with a deadly disease.<br />
They are usually kept in a [[cage]] or a [[terrarium]], sometimes with other rats or [[mice]]. Domestic rats are curious, clean, and gentle creatures with a lifespan of approximately three years.<br />
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[[category:Rodents]]</div>SearchForTruth