what is a group of rats called
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Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus. Other rat genera include Neotoma (pack rats), Bandicota (bandicoot rats) and Dipodomys (kangaroo rats).
Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size. Usually the common name of a large muroid rodent will include the word “rat”, while a smaller muroid’s name will include “mouse”. The common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. There are 56 known species of rats in the world.
Rats are thin-tailed, medium-size rodents that originated in Asia and Australia but are now found all over the world. “True rats” are members of the genus Rattus, but other rodent genera are also referred to as rats and share many of the same characteristics. Rats differentiate from mice by being larger, with longer, thinner bodies and long legs.
Size
According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) there are more than 60 species of rat, which means they come in all sizes. They are typically 5 inches (12 centimeters), or longer, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The largest species is the Bosavi woolly rat, which was discovered in 2009 in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea (and doesn’t have a scientific name yet). It is about the size of a cat — 32.2 inches (82 cm) from nose to tail and weighs around 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kilograms), according to CNN. One of the smallest rats is Osgood’s Vietnamese rat. It is typically 5 to 7 inches (12 to 17 cm) long.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., male rats are called bucks; females are does. Infants are called pups or kittens. A group of rats is called a mischief.
Habitat
Rats are found all over the world. For example, the rice-field rat is found in Southeast Asia, the Australian swamp rat is found in Eastern Australia, and the Norway rat, also called brown rats, is found on every continent of the world except Antarctica, according to the Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan.
The brown and the house rat are the most common rats in the world because they have taken boats to every country over the past few centuries. House rats typically like warmer climates, while brown rats live in temperate climates. They typically live anywhere humans live. Many rat species also live in trees.
Habits
Overall, rats live to forage and mate. Most rats are nocturnal, though the brown rat is often awake day or night.
Rats usually stick together in groups called packs. New packs are formed when a male and female go off on their own and nest in an area that doesn’t already contain a pack. Brown rats are usually led by the largest male in the pack. Other rats may have several dominant males or females in a pack.
So, what is a group of rats called?
A group of rats is commonly referred to as a mischief. Although they are sometimes called a pack, plague, colony, or a swarm.
So there appears to be several different terms to use.
And it gets a little more interesting still.
There is one other group name based on a very particular context.
Its called a “rat king”.
This is when a large number of rats come and get stuck together by their tails, typically due to their conditions and some kind of entangling material.
It could be hair, it could be dirt, or something entirely different.
And this particular group of rats has a very bad association.
In fact, the ‘Rat King’ has been a bad omen for centuries, and is routinely cited in popular folklore.
Nevertheless, a group of rats living collectively in a group do not go by this name.
Its usually a mischief. Let’s find out why.
“Mischief” is the designation for a group of rats. “Colony,” “plague,” “pack” and “swarm” are also suitable names. A rat king is an unusual phenomenon where a large number of rats become intertwined by their tails due to extreme conditions and inordinate amounts of blood, dirt and excrement.
The rat king was seen as a bad omen in Europe through medieval times and into the 18th century, when cases eventually diminished due to the emergence of the brown rat. In some instances, physical evidence shows that rat kings could survive for extended periods of time despite their obvious physical disadvantages. This is seen in some mummified examples in which calluses have formed around the fractures of the tails.
Why Are Rats Called A Mischief?
Rats are called a mischief, due to how they behave when they come together as a group.
If we look at the definition of the word ‘mischief’ we soon see why.
And there are a couple of definitions too:
‘Playful misbehavior’
‘Harm or trouble caused by someone or something.’
Both certainly apply.
If they are kept as pets, they’re certainly playful with their owners.
If they are wild rats, then they certainly can cause trouble.
In most cases and instances, they are considered pests, after all.
Do Rats Live In Groups?
While there are several different breeds of rats, generally, they are very social rodents.
And for the wild brown rat, they are never too far from us humans.
In fact, they live surprisingly close.
They will actively seek out any potential home that is safe, warm, and close to a regular supply of food!
And they like to stick together to share warmth too.
When it comes to their shelter, they love to build burrows and nests. These can even be up to 3 meters deep!
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A simple google image search of ‘rat nest’ will show you exactly what this looks like.
And a new mischief, or pack of rat, are formed quite frequently.
It happens when a male and female go off on their own to reproduce. They generally do so away from an area of another pack.
But they produce up to 5 and 12 pups in each litter.
The largest rat, typically the father male, will lead the group. But as the group gets larger other dominant rats will start to take control.
Top 10 Animal Group Names
Have you ever wondered what a particular group of animals is called? Here are ten common pets and their group names.
- A group of rats or mice is called a mischief.
- A group of gerbils is called a clan.
- A group of sugar gliders is called a colony.
- A group of ferrets is called a business.
- A group of skunks is called a surfeit.
- A group of rabbits is called herd.
- A group of parrots is called a company.
- A group of hedgehogs is called an array.
- A group of hamsters is called a horde.
- A group of fish is called a school.
Those who suffer from musophobia might want to stop reading. This list is about rats! We’ve come up with eight facts that you might not know—or want to know—about the rodent everyone loves to hate.
New York City might have pizza rat, but Chicago tops the list of the most rat-infested U.S. cities, according to a 2016 list compiled by Orkin. The Big Apple was second, followed by Washington, D.C. (make your own politician-rat joke). Globally, London and Paris also have a well-documented problem with rats. In fact, the City of Light was forced to close several parks in 2016 due to a rat crisis.
Monster Rats
Think you’ve seen a really large rat? Probably not if you compare it with the Bosavi woolly rat, a species discovered in 2009. Believed to be the biggest rat, it is more than 32 inches (81 cm) long (including the tail) and weighs more than three pounds (1.36 kg). By comparison, the common house rat is about 20 inches (50 cm) long and weighs approximately 12 ounces (0.34 kg). Unfortunately, scientific studies have determined that common rats are getting larger. On the positive side, researchers think that common rats’ physiology prevents them from becoming gigantic rats. In New York City, for example, researchers determined that rats would likely never exceed 2 pounds (1 kg).
Reproduction
Part of the rat problem is their incredible fecundity. Rats begin breeding as soon as five weeks of age and continue until about age two. Females are fertile approximately every three weeks, and during this time they have been known to mate up to 500 times (!) in six hours. The resulting pregnancy usually lasts about three weeks, and the litter size typically ranges from 6 to 20 babies.
Some tips :
- Rats are social animals, and like ferrets, are happier when kept as a pair or in a group. To avoid unwanted babies, keep them in same-sex pairs or groups.
- Rats are very intelligent and can be taught tricks such as fetching small balls, jumping hurdles, weaving through poles (just like agility dogs!) rolling over, and even untying shoe laces!
- Rats love to play and need about an hour of exercise outside of their cage each day.
- Despite what you might think, rats are clean and spend a lot of time grooming.
- Rats, like all other pets, need regular veterinary care, so it is important to budget accordingly.
- Fancy rats live for 2-3 years with an average age of just under 2 years.
- It is illegal to keep pet rats in some municipalities, so be sure to check your local regulations and laws.
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