Many times we see the infamous Norway rats rather than the black rat.Although black rats are still common pests in some places,they have disappeared in most places since the past centuries.What has happened to the?All scientist seem to agree on the same theory.They think(know?)that they were pushed out by the Norway rats.

  The two rodents both originated in Asia.There are no proven hybrids between the two even though they are very similar.Black rats colonized the New World a few centuries before the Norways.Today both are are still considered both pets(Norways to a larger degree),exhibit animals(blacks to a greater degree,and pests on the same degree.They have very different histories,but their histories were very similar also.

  Black rats are also known as bubonic,anti-water,Black Plague,arboreal,ship,roof,house,or small rats.They only reach a weight of 200-300 grams.They are very arboreal and cannot swim very well.They are the species that cause the Bubonic/Black Plague.The color  of the fur can vary from grey to brown or in rare cases agouti to black.Despite their name,they are not always black.

   Norway rats also have a ton of names.They are called brown,swimmer,Asian(rarely though),giant,super,wharf,and sewer rats.They can reach 500 grams and are a lot more muscular.They are the ones that we call fancy rats if they are pets.They are too large to climb trees,but are excellent swimmers.In fact,they can swim for 3 days before perishing and can hold their breath fo 3 minutes.

  What happened was the larger Norways were a lot more dominant.They competed with the black rats for territory,food,and water.In the end the strength of the muscular Norways beated the black rats.Some black rats became prey to the more carnivorous Norway rats and were wiped out of some parts of the world when entire colonies were killed off at once without being able to reproduce.One good thing that arose was that black rats were not native to parts of the world other than Asia so the killing of the black rats reduced them greatly.The downside was that the Norways are more destructive and less black rats meant more Norway rats.The largest coexisting population of rats are located in Asia where they still remain wild and out of human homes.There are a few small known wild black rat colonies in other parts of the world.

  The Norway rats are identified by a long tail that is as long as the head and body.The ears are rather short.The base of the tail is covered in hair.The head is rather blunt.The shoulders are very broad and muscular.

  The black rats are very feminine looking.They have sleek bodies and a slim chest.The tail is only 3/4 of the body length.They are more accustomed to being near humans.That is how I got the shot of the rat climbing a tree.The tail scales are a little smaller and covered a little littlier.