Rat Facts

Mice and rats belong to a group of 1,800 species of small mammals called rodents. The group also includes squirrels, voles, lemmings beavers, porcupines and guinea pigs.
All rodents have two pairs of razor-sharp front teeth for gnawing nuts and berries, and a set of ridged teeth in their cheeks for chewing.
A rodent’s front teeth, called incisors, grow all the time. Only gnawing keeps them the same length.
Rats and mice are by far the most common rodents – they have adapted well to living alongside humans.
Brown and black rats carry germs for diseases such as food poisoning, plague and typhus.
Rabbits and hares look like rodents but they belong to another group of mammals called lagomorphs or ‘leaping shapes.’
Rats and mice have long thin tails, pointed noses, beady black eyes and four very sharp front teeth.
Hares live above ground and escape enemies through sheer speed. Rabbits live in burrows underground.
Baby hares are born above ground, covered in fur and with their eyes open. Rabbits are born naked and blind in burrows.
Rabbits breed quickly – a female can have 20 babies every month during the breeding season, and her babies will have their own families after 6 months.
One single rabbit could have more than 33 million offspring in just 3 years, if they all survived to breed.
A single mouse can produce up to 34 young in one litter.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.