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Species
Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769)
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Norway rats were introduced to the Great Lakes region a long time ago. These rats are not originally from Norway, as its name would lead us to believe. The species originated in Asia, reached Europe by the mid-1500's and arrived in North America about 1775 on ships from England.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Rattus_norvegicus/ |
Canada
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
United States
Origin: Exotic
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rattus+norvegicus |
Type for Rattus norvegicus
Catalog Number: USNM 125212
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Mammals
Sex/Stage: Female; Adult
Preparation: Skin; Skull
Collector(s): E. Mearns
Year Collected: 1904
Locality: Zamboanga, at old Spanish hospital, Mindanao, Zamboanga Province, Philippines, Asia
- Type: Mearns, E. A. 1905 May 13. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 28: 441.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. Unless otherwise noted, this image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. |
Source | http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/mammals/?irn=7246875 |
Rattus norvegicus is prey of:
Mustela
Felis silvestris
Vulpes vulpes
Falconiformes
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 16, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://www.animaldiversity.org
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Norway rats have been widely used in medical and genetic research. This research has led to important advances in physiology, genetics, immunology, pathology, and epidemiology. They are also popular pets and have been important in research on behavior because of their ability to learn quickly and because it is easy to keep them in laboratory settings.
Positive Impacts: pet trade ; research and education
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Rattus_norvegicus/ |
Global Range: Assumed native in eastern Asia; introduced worldwide but most common in colder climates of high latitudes; in warmer regions, restricted to habitats highly modified by humans (Musser and carleton, in Wilson and Reeder 2005).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rattus+norvegicus |
Type for Rattus norvegicus
Catalog Number: USNM 144020
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Mammals
Sex/Stage: Male; Adult
Preparation: Skin; Skull
Collector(s): W. Simpson
Year Collected: 1905
Locality: Taocheo [= Lintan], Gansu, China, Asia
- Type: Miller, G. S. 1914 May 11. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 27: 90.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. Unless otherwise noted, this image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. |
Source | http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/mammals/?irn=7251752 |
Rattus norvegicus preys on:
Podilymbus podiceps
Zenaida asiatica
Progne dominicensis
Phoebastria nigripes
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 16, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://www.animaldiversity.org
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Norway rats are widespread and abundant and are not considered threatened. Humans often try to control the numbers of rats by trapping and poisoning.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Rattus_norvegicus/ |