What do rats do? - briefly
Rats forage for food, gnaw objects, reproduce rapidly, maintain social hierarchies, and communicate via ultrasonic vocalizations. They navigate complex environments, construct nests, and can act as vectors for human diseases.
What do rats do? - in detail
Rats are highly adaptable mammals whose daily activities are driven by survival, reproduction, and social interaction. They spend much of their time foraging for food, which includes scavenging human waste, consuming grains, seeds, insects, and occasionally small vertebrates. Foraging typically occurs during the night, when they exploit darkness to avoid predators.
Their locomotion combines climbing, swimming, and burrowing. Strong forelimbs and flexible spines enable rapid movement through narrow tunnels and over vertical surfaces. In water, they can paddle efficiently, allowing access to flooded environments and distant food sources.
Social structure revolves around colonies that establish hierarchies. Dominant individuals secure preferred nesting sites and control access to resources. Subordinate rats cooperate in nest building, grooming, and collective defense. Communication relies on ultrasonic vocalizations, scent marking, and tactile signals such as whisker touches.
Reproductive behavior is prolific. Females reach sexual maturity within two months, produce a litter of three to twelve offspring after a gestation of about 21 days, and can breed year‑round under favorable conditions. Litters are nurtured in communal nests, where mothers and helpers provide warmth and protection.
Key activities can be summarized:
- Food acquisition: nocturnal foraging, opportunistic diet, food storage.
- Habitat maintenance: excavation of burrows, reinforcement of nest structures, use of existing cavities.
- Social interaction: hierarchy establishment, grooming, scent communication, cooperative care.
- Reproduction: rapid sexual maturation, frequent breeding cycles, communal rearing.
- Predator avoidance: nocturnal activity, use of tight tunnels, alarm vocalizations.
These behaviors collectively enable rats to thrive in diverse environments, from urban sewers to rural fields, ensuring their persistence as one of the most successful mammalian species.