Rattus is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus.
Species and description
The best-known Rattus species are the black rat (R. rattus) and the brown rat (R. norvegicus). The group is generally known as the Old World rats or true rats and originated in Asia. Rats are bigger than most Old World mice, which are their relatives, but seldom weigh over 500 grams (1.1 lb) in the wild.
Taxonomy of <i>Rattus</i>
The genus Rattus is a member of the giant subfamily Murinae.
The genus Rattus proper contains 64 extant species. A subgeneric breakdown of the species has been proposed, but does not include all species.
incertae sedis
Enggano rat (Rattus enganus) – Indonesia (potentially extinct)
Philippine forest rat (Rattus everetti) – the Philippines
Polynesian rat or kiore (Rattus exulans) – originally native to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, but now introduced throughout the Pacific (including most Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian islands, most notably Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Easter Island and Hawaii), as well as the Philippines, Brunei, and Singapore, origin uncertain in Taiwan
Hainald's rat (Rattus hainaldi) – Indonesia
Halmahera Island rat (Rattus halmaheraensis) - Indonesia
Hoogerwerf's rat (Rattus hoogerwerfi) – Indonesia
Korinch's rat (Rattus korinchi) – Indonesia
†Maclear's rat (Rattus macleari) – Christmas Island (now extinct)
Nillu rat (Rattus montanus) – Sri Lanka
Moluccan prehensile-tailed rat (Rattus morotaiensis) – Indonesia
†Bulldog rat (Rattus nativitatis) – Christmas Island (now extinct)
Kerala rat (Rattus ranjiniae) – India
New Ireland forest rat (Rattus sanila) – New Ireland, Papua New Guinea (potentially extinct)
Andaman rat (Rattus stoicus) – the Andaman Islands, India
Timor rat (Rattus timorensis) – Timor
R. norvegicus group
Himalayan field rat (Rattus nitidus) – originally...
