Where did rats come from? Detailed answer

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Where did rats come from? Detailed answer

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Where did rats come from?

Nobody likes to talk about rats because they are very unpleasant creatures. But they have a significant impact on human life. Brown rats carry fleas that can spread a terrible disease - the bubonic plague, or the Black Death. More people died from this disease than during all the wars in the history of mankind combined!

The brown rat, which is a common domestic rat, is native to Asia. It appeared in Europe around the time of the Crusades. Partly these creatures got on the ground, partly - on the ships on which the crusaders returned to their homeland. Within a short period of time, the rats spread throughout Europe. They made their way to the United States during the American Revolution and then gradually spread throughout the country, following the pioneers moving further west.

Why is it so difficult for a person to fight these creatures? The reason is that rats have an amazingly strong ability to adapt. The more prosperous a person's life is, the better life is for rats, because the more food around, the more they get. On the other hand, as the history of the last centuries testifies, when bad times came for a person, rats began to "take care" of themselves: they became cannibals and devoured each other.

An ordinary rat is an extremely cunning creature. It cannot be done on the same trick twice. Food mixed with poison may kill a few rats at first, but other rats will quickly learn to avoid it. An ordinary domestic rat usually weighs about a quarter of a kilogram. Its color can be from pure gray to reddish and black-brown. In length, it reaches about forty - fifty centimeters.

If rats of any other species appear in the area, brown rats drive them away and keep the territory for themselves. They can be found wherever a person lives, except for the Far North and areas with a very dry climate. By the way, not every cat is able to catch and bite a rat.

Author: Likum A.

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