Rattus is a genus of muroidrodents, 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 Rattusspecies 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 500 grams (1.1 lb) in the wild.
Himalayan field rat (Rattus nitidus) – originally native to Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam (presence uncertain in Bangladesh), but now introduced to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Palau
Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) – originally native to southeast Siberia, northeast China, and parts of Japan, but now introduced worldwide except Antarctica
Tanezumi rat (Rattus tanezumi) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
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