Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
Also known as: Norway Rat, Common Rat, Domestic Rat, Fancy Rat, Lab Rat
Habitat
Ground
Diet
PlantSeed
Active Time
Nocturnal
Size
338 g
About This Species
A highly adaptable rodent found worldwide in close association with human settlement, it forages on the ground in and around buildings, waterways, farmland, and refuse sites, mostly after dark. Look for it along canal banks, urban alleys, and farmyards at dusk or at night, following scent trails and gnaw marks as much as direct sightings, since it is wary and quick to retreat to cover. Areas with accessible food waste or grain storage tend to show the most activity.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Because it is common, adaptable, and associated with property damage and disease transmission in many areas, it holds no protected status and is broadly treated as a pest species subject to control rather than viewing regulations.
- Even so, casual observation from a normal distance poses no risk to the animal, and direct handling should be avoided both for hygiene reasons and because wild rodents can bite defensively.
- Local health authorities can advise on control measures if one is found in or around a home.
LCMammaliaRodentiaMuridae
Seasonal Activity
205,042 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
Traits
- Diet
- PlantSeed
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Nocturnal
- Body mass
- 338 g
- Home range
- 0 ha
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.