| *In ancient Rome, the people called rats, "big mice" and | | | | deserts! |
| mice were referred to as "little mice". The actual | | | | * A rat can fall 15 metres (nearly 50 foot) and land |
| translation was Mus Maximus (big mouse) or Mus | | | | uninjured! |
| minimus (little mouse). | | | | * An adult male rat can weigh up to 700 grams (1.5 |
| * Near the Ino-Pakistan border in India is a small town | | | | pounds) and they live for two to three years. |
| called Deshnoke, famous for its 600 year old Karni | | | | * The female of the species can mate up to 500 |
| Mata Temple, also known as the Temple of Rats. | | | | times with various males during her state of receptivity. |
| Karni Mata is believed to be the incarnation of Durga, | | | | This state lasts for approximately six hours and she |
| the Hindu Goddess and thousands of rats are | | | | will experience such a state, fifteen times a year! This |
| worshipped in the Temple. It is said that the souls of | | | | mating can produce a lot of offspring, as many as |
| the followers of Karni Mata are in the rats and they | | | | 2000 babies a year. |
| must be looked after. The attending priests feed them | | | | * Rats are pretty good swimmers, in a recent |
| milk and grain. | | | | experiment where a rat was tagged in and left on an |
| * In western civilization the term rat has negative | | | | island off New Zealand, it next turned up on a nearby |
| connotations when associated with people, often | | | | island, a swim of 400 metres. They can also tread |
| meaning that someone is suspicious, unattractive or | | | | water for approximately 36 hours. |
| possibility a criminal informant. It is thought that this use | | | | * They are a very intelligent species and very |
| of the word stems from the medieval plague called | | | | rewarding to keep as a pet. They actually seem to |
| the Black Death. Rats were seen as vicious, unclean | | | | enjoy human company in much the same way as a |
| parasitic animals and blamed for the spread of the | | | | dog and will bond with their owner. They can learn a |
| disease, although this view is now widely questioned. | | | | variety of tricks and even come when you call their |
| * Rats can actually last longer without water than | | | | name. |
| camels, although absolutely no good for riding across | | | | |