What is the scientific name of a rat? - briefly
The brown (Norwegian) rat is classified as Rattus norvegicus, while the black rat is Rattus rattus.
What is the scientific name of a rat? - in detail
The binomial designation for the most widely encountered rat belongs to the genus Rattus. In modern taxonomy the organism is placed as follows:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Muridae
- Subfamily: Murinae
- Genus: Rattus
Two species dominate urban and laboratory environments:
- Rattus norvegicus – brown or Norway rat, typical of sewers and research colonies.
- Rattus rattus – black rat, more common in warm climates and attics.
Both species share the generic name Rattus, derived from the Latin word for “rat.” The specific epithets distinguish morphological and ecological traits: “norvegicus” references the historical association with Norway, while “rattus” is a tautological reinforcement of the common name. Earlier classifications listed the brown rat as Mus norvegicus before the genus Rattus was firmly established.
In scientific literature the full scientific name is always italicized, with the genus capitalized and the species lowercase, e.g., Rattus norvegicus. This convention ensures precise communication across disciplines and languages.