Rat

Rats are a species of long-tailed rodents.

Many members of other rodent families, such as pouch rats and pack rats, are called "rats" due to similar appearance, but are not true rats and do not belong to the genus Rattus.

The best-known rat species are the Black Rat (black rattus) and the Brown Rat (rattus norvegicus). Both are generally known as the Old World rats or true rats, and originated in Asia.

The common species are capable of surviving naturally, although they are often found living with and near humans. While it is possible for modern wild rats to carry diseases, it's not very common. Those living in good environments are typically healthy and robust animals, opposed to ones living in cities (who may have poor diets and and fall prey to parasites) The normal lifespan of a rat ranges from two to five years, and is typically three years. Rats can be found on every continent on the planet, apart from Antarctica.

Rats and furry
Rats are an averagely popular species choice for both original characters and fursonas.

Several fictional species use rats for a base both for appearance and behavior. Examples include Burmecians and Cleyrans from Final Fantasy IX, and Ratonga from EverQuest II. Each are moderately prevalent in fan works (both by furry artists and non-furry fans).

Rats in mainstream fiction

 * Templeton from Charlotte's Web
 * Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
 * Nicodemus, Justin, and others from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
 * R&eacute;my from Ratatouille
 * Gary from Gary the Rat
 * Cluny The Scourge from Redwall (series)
 * Roscuro from The Tale of Despereaux
 * The intelligent rats featured in Terry Pratchett's: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
 * Professor Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective
 * Munch Rat from Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog
 * The Giant Rat from Rat Movie: Mystery of the Mayan Treasure
 * Angelina Mouseling from Angelina Ballerina And Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps