Rattus

Two Rats by Vincent van Gogh (1884)

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 Template:Convert in the wild.

Taxonomy of Rattus

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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Phylogeny

The following phylogeny of selected Rattus species is from Template:Harvp.<ref> Template:Cite journal </ref> Template:Clade

Evolution

Molecular evidence suggests that Rattus originated in the Late Miocene and that it experienced an exceptionally rapid burst of diversification during the Pleistocene epoch.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Fossil species

In contrast to the large number of living species, as of 2024, just four fossil species have been placed in Rattus proper:<ref name=Chang2023>Template:Cite journal</ref>

• Rattus baoshanensis - Late Pliocene China
• Rattus jaegeri - Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene Thailand
• Rattus pristinus - Early Pleistocene China
• Rattus miyakoensis - Late Pleistocene Japan<ref name=Kawaguchi2009>Template:Cite journal</ref>