Rats :Characteristics, Behavior, Diet, Habitat

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Rats
By KV
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Characteristics

• Rats are mammals
• In the rodent family
• Have brown, gray, or black fur covering their
  body, except for their ears, tail, and feet.
• Pet rats can be white and/or black as well.
• Their hearing is excellent.

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Characteristics

• Their eyes are suited for a nocturnal lifestyle.
• Rats have four sharp front teeth
• two on the top and two on the bottom used for
  gnawing.
• molars in the back of the mouth used for
  grinding.

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Characteristics

• Rats have a skeleton made of bones connected with
  joints and cartilage.
• They do not have a collapsible skeleton.
• Rats can fit through small holes because their
  bodies are long, flexible, and cylindrical in
  shape.
• Rats determine whether they can fit through a
  hole using their whiskers.

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Behavior Habitat

• Rats are social creatures
• Live in colonies that are housed in a complex
  network of underground burrows
• Burrows range from a few inches to several feet
  below the surface.
• Build nests of shredded vegetation, feathers,
  paper, and various other materials and huddle
  together for warmth.

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Diet

• The rat's nutritional requirements are similar
  to those of humans.
• Rats will eat just about anything, including
  things that humans would consider far past being
  edible.
• However, they prefer grain and consume millions
  of tons of stored food each year worldwide.