Roof Rats In Washington State

The black rat rattus rattus also known as ship rat roof rat or house rat is a common long tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus rattus in the subfamily murinae.

Roof rats in washington state.

It likely originated in the indian subcontinent but is now found worldwide. It is a generalist omnivore and a serious pest to farmers because it. The black rat is black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. In our area the norway rat is the most common name used.

Old world rats include the norway rat fig. Norway rat rattus norvegicus norway rats are referred to by other names as well. 1 also known as the brown rat sewer rat or wharf rat and the black rat also called the roof rat. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail.

The roof rat also known as the black rat is an introduced non native rat and has been found along the southern atlantic and gulf coastal states from virginia to texas and throughout florida. They also are found along the pacific coast of california washington state and oregon. Larger and broader than the roof rat norway rats can reach up to 11 inches as adults and their nose is blunter in shape than the roof rat. They make up for poor eyesight with keen senses of hearing smell taste and touch.

The norway rat rattus norvegicus averages 16 inches in length includeing the animal s long tapered scaly tail that is slightly shorter than the combined length of the rat s head and body norway rats are grayish brown in color from top to. Rats constantly explore their environment and quickly detect and tend to avoid new objects including traps. Your typical roof rat is between 13 to 18 inches long. Their undersides are often white gray or black.

Both norway rats and roof rats are mostly active at night. Adult roof rats measure 6 8 16 20 cm when combining their head and body length.