GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:
Rattus rattus is found throughout the world. It prefers a warm and dry climate.
CHARACTERS:
i) Rattus rattus is commonly called common rat.
ii) The body of the rat is slender with thick-set fine for mixed with stiff hairs.
iii) It is usually grayish or brownish in colour.
iv) Rat measures about 25 cm including tail.
v) Body is divisible into 4 distinct regions: heads, neck, trunk and tail.
vi) Head is elongated, somewhat conical in shape and tapering anteriorly to a terminal nose.
vii) Neck is a short region joining the head to trunk.
viii) Trunk is the largest part of the body.
ix) Anus is a small median aperture below the base of the tail.
x) Tail is elongated, cylindrical and tapering & often slightly longer than the body.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
i) It acts as a carrier of diseases like plague and typhus.
ii) It destroys the grains and other food stuff in storage.
