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Sculptures by Phyllis Bone

Black Rat, Rattus rattus

Suborder Sciurognathi

Black Rats are smaller than brown rats, but have larger ears and eyes. They are climbing animals - infestations usually occur in walls and roofs, not drains. They will live closer to people than Brown Rats and dislike water.

Being less cautious of mankind than the Brown Rat, the Black Rat is often the species concerned with the transmission of Bubonic plague.