Mice – these marvelous, annoying little rascals include 400 species. These animals are regarded as enemies by some people and cute pets by others. These little rodents love to settle near areas where humans live due to the availability of food and are therefore, seen as troublesome pests. Sometimes, even the best rat traps won’t be successful and they will keep overwhelming you and invading your property. However, the behavior and life of these animals is strange. It is worth reading interesting facts about home rats / mice and the opinion of animals will change.
The most interesting and surprising facts
Rats are very Smart.
We are all aware that these little rascals are sneaky and smart. When you catch them with the best rat trap there is in the market, you just think they are plain stupid. However, did you know, that rats are a lot smarter that the hamsters that are being raised by many people around the world? They are also smarter than numerous rodents such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
Rats do not sweat.
No, not roughly. What we mean is that rats do not sweat (sweat), they use their tails to regulate temperature and balance.
Schools of rats? Causing Mischief?
Eventually, you children will ask you what do we call a group of rats? and when that time comes, we bet that you will provide wrong information. Pretty unusually, a group of rats is called a mischief. You would do well to remember that.
Rats need little water to survive.
We all know that camels are on top of the list of the animals that can go longer without drinking water. Rats are right beneath them on that list. If you think your best rat trap is prevent them from reaching the water supply, think again.
Rats have a navel
Just like humans, rats also have a navel, which is one more common thing they have with humans.
The rats laugh
I bet the title made you laugh. And yes, rats do laugh, however, humans are unable to hear them and we thank god for that, otherwise we would just go crazy. They can feel happiness as well, if you do not have fear of rats, try to tickle one and you will see the reaction you will get. You never know, they may be laughing at you when you think you have found the best rat trap to kill them with.
The rats went into space
The travelled on Sputnik 2 alongside with 2 dogs, Belka and Strelka, a rabbit, flies, and mice. They all returned alive and well. They are therefore the first types of mammals that ever ventured into outer space. Thanks to NASA.
Rats Fart
Another common thing rats share with humans, maybe they cannot burp or whistle but sure as hell, they can fart. This is not to say that you can hear it, but they fart and rather a lot if you give them treats! It makes them cuter, doesn’t it?
A rat knows how to find its way
Rats have a fantastic memory. If they go exploring, they will remember the exact route, which means that if your rat comes out of the cage and you cannot find it, it is very likely that they will come back as soon as they are hungry. This concludes, that even if you buy the best rat trap, the place where you will be putting it matters the most.
Rats have managed to survive this far
You do not necessarily think about it, and yet our planet has faced many extinctions, the most famous of which is that of dinosaurs, which occurred about 65 million years ago. While large and imposing creatures – in addition predators – have perished, others survive and thrive. This is the case of this small mammal, the rat.
Besides, in 2014, researchers were interested in the species that could survive in the event that the next great extinction occurs and guess who won the first place? This is explained by the fact that researchers believe that with each extinction, rats find a way to survive, to adapt to new environments and to evolve. However, they are not the only ones who could survive a massive extinction, the researchers believe that cats and pigs will also have a chance to come out alive from another extinction.
Some Male Rats Have no Y Chromosome.
Did you know that in mammals, sex is determined by the presence of chromosomes X and Y? In fact, to have a female, you need a combination of two X chromosomes while to have a male, you need a combination of X and Y chromosomes.
However, there is a mammal and more precisely a certain rodent, which is an exception to this rule. This is the thorny rat from Amami, Japan, which lacks the Y chromosome and which, however, continues to give birth to male rats.
Rats may have regrets
Surprising, isn’t it? However, this is the result that researchers achieved in 2014 when they conducted a particular experiment. They built a “rodent restaurant”. The experiment was simple: Bring the rats into a circular enclosure comprising boxes where there was a distribution of food after various waiting times. Therefore, if the rats were patient, they were enjoying a delicious dish.
On the other hand, if they were not patient, they ate a lesser dish. The challenge was that once inside a box, the rat could not get out. The researchers thus discovered that the rats, which opted for the fastest meal, experienced a regret, which is characterized by a glance towards the box in which they had not returned but which promised a better meal in spite of a time of longer wait. This may also happen with being caught, this could mean that it is not the best rat trap you have bought, but rather the bad decision the rat had made.
Rats can detect bombs
A Belgian non-governmental organization are training rats to detect landmines.These demining rodents are, for example, used in Mozambique to solve one of the country’s biggest problems. Indeed, during the 16 years of civil war in the country, thousands of mines were planted in the soil of Mozambique. Although the conflict ended in 1992, many of these explosives have not been defused and continue to detonate, causing deaths and injuries. This squad of demining rodents could thus save Mozambique from mines.
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