Squad of rodents. Names of suborders of rodents listed alphabetically An animal similar to a mouse with a long tail

In the article I will look at the different species and which rodent to choose as a pet, their maintenance and breeding. I’ll tell you about the features of caring for each type of animal on the list.

The most popular types of rodents for home keeping

Hamsters

The cost of the animal is from 200 rubles and above.

This is a cute nocturnal animal. It is quite difficult to tame it, but it is possible. To maintain it you will need strong rods with a house, a couple of ladders or tunnels and feeders.

The cost of the animal is from 300 to 500 rubles.

Or the Chilean squirrel weighs on average 300-500 g and reaches a length of 30 cm. The rodent itself is inexpensive, but its maintenance requires money and time. First of all, he needs a home. Since it is a squirrel, it needs an appropriate cage. The cost of a cage for squirrels is 3000-3500 rubles.

Degu is a school animal, so it does not get along well with other animals. Alone, the Chilean squirrel lives much shorter. It is comfortable to keep them in pairs.

The degu's coat is dense and coarse, so it should be brushed regularly. The animal can handle this on its own, but it needs a sand bath installed in the cage.

Grabbing or lifting a degu by the tail is strictly prohibited. If you squeeze its tail, the skin will come off and the animal will run away. The exposed part of the tail bleeds and dies.

Degus are very sensitive to heat and high humidity, cold and noise. The optimal temperature for it is 24-26 degrees. Strong odors also have an unfavorable effect on the condition of the animal.

Also, a cage with an animal should not be placed next to such indoor plants as:

Sanseviera;
Indoor feces (Spathiphyllum);
Feronia;
Threader;
Flamingo flower.

The main quality of degus is their sociability. A walk is one way to establish contact with your baby.

Degus should be released into an apartment under exceptional supervision. He will chew on everything that gets in his way.

In this article we looked at several types of rodents and their breeds. We also learned how to care for each species. We noticed some features of the rocks.

The first representatives of the order Rodents appeared in the Cretaceous era. And they became known to science from the beginning of the Paleocene. Paleontologists believe that the ancestors of rodents were insectivores.

Order Rodents: general characteristics

Among the animals of this order there are representatives of completely different weight categories. The body length of the mouse is 5 cm. The capybara can reach 130 cm in length, and its body weight varies from 6 to 60 kg. Due to the wide variety of species, the external body structure of rodents may differ. For example, limbs may have different appearances. Rodents have 5- or 4-fingered forelimbs and 3-, 4-, 5-fingered hind limbs. The hairline is very diverse - from thick and soft to sparse, bristle-like or even forming needles. The coloring is also varied. There are no sweat glands on the body, only the presence of sebaceous glands is characteristic. The location of the sweat glands is the soles. The number of nipples varies from 2 to 12 pairs.

Representatives of numerous families also differ in type of nutrition. One can distinguish herbivorous, omnivorous, insectivorous and piscivorous rodents.

Structural features

Characteristic features are smooth cerebral hemispheres brain; imperfection of thermoregulation; the presence of two pairs of greatly enlarged middle incisors, which grow throughout life and do not have roots. The shape of these teeth is chisel-like and very sharp; the incisors are covered on the inside with soft dentin, while the front part is covered with hard enamel on top. This structural feature allows the cutters to self-sharpen if necessary. Rodents have no fangs, and between the incisors and molars there is a diastema (empty space). In total, the number of teeth various types varies from 12 to 20.

Depending on lifestyle and type of nutrition, molars may differ in the structure of the tooth surface. It may be tuberculate or ridged. Lips perform a protective function, protecting the mouth from various kinds unnecessary particles. The structure of the jaws located behind the cheeks and covering them allows the front jaw to protrude if necessary. It is the differences in the configuration of these muscles that serve as the characteristic by which rodents are classified. The stomach can be simple or multi-chambered. All except dormouse are characterized by the presence of a cecum, but there is no spiral fold in it.

Classification of the order Rodents

The order Rodents has not been finally classified. Until recently, lagomorphs, now classified as a separate order, also belonged to it.

To date, more than 40 families are known, 30 of which include modern representatives of this order. Species diversity is represented very widely; in the order Rodents, according to various sources, there are from 1600 to 2000 species.

The widespread distribution of various species of rodents suggests the numerical dominance of their representatives among mammals. 150 types from 11 modern families, including flying squirrels, squirrels, beavers, hamsters, mole rats, mice, dormouse, jerboa, etc., inhabit open landscapes of the temperate and subtropical zones, especially arid zones. Many species are characterized by a semi-underground lifestyle, when only feeding occurs on the surface.

Wild and domestic rodents, nocturnal and diurnal, small and large - a great variety of their representatives are distributed throughout the world.

The meaning of rodents

Rodents are known to take Active participation in soil formation. Their digging activity has a positive effect on plant productivity.

Life expectancy depends on size: small rodents live from 1.5 to 2 years, and large ones - from 4 to 7 years. The onset of sexual maturity in small species occurs in 2-3 months, and in large species - in 1-1.5 years. The number of rodents of the smallest size, which are capable of giving birth up to 6-8 times per year to 8-15 cubs, can increase hundreds of times in some years. Then rodents cause enormous damage to agriculture. Among the animals of the order there are dangerous ones, those that are carriers and causative agents of serious diseases. These are, for example, gophers and marmots. Squirrels, muskrats and nutrias have valuable fur, in connection with this they became an important object of the fur trade. Two species and 5 subspecies of rodents are listed in the Red Book.

Typical representatives of the squad

The families that make up the order Rodents, the list of which is presented below, include the most diverse animals in appearance and lifestyle.

Sem. Squirrel: common squirrel, gopher, chipmunk, Mexican marmot.
Sem. Flying squirrels: flying squirrel.
Sem. Gopheraceae: Plain gopher.
Sem. Beavers: beaver.
Sem. Long-legged: long-legged.
Sem. Hamsters: Djungarian hamster, common zokor, vole, hoofed lemming, Siberian lemming, great gerbil.
Sem. Mole rats:
Sem. Pasyuk.
Sem. Dormouse: garden dormouse.
Sem. Seleviniaceae: selevinia.
Sem. Mousebirds: wood mouse.
Sem. Jerboa: fat-tailed jerboa, large jerboa.
Sem. Porcupines: Indian porcupine.
Sem. American porcupines: prehensile-tailed porcupine.
Sem. Gilts: guinea pig, Patagonian mara.
Sem. Capybara: capybara.
Sem. Chinchillas: chinchilla, whiskey.
Sem. Nutriaceae: nutria.

The evolutionary path of rodents

The fossilized remains of ancient rodents, most of which were discovered in North America and Eurasia, were very small and resembled modern mice in appearance. Only a few species were slightly more developed than the majority and reached the size of a beaver.

The first sign that appeared, which began to distinguish rodents from other similar animals, was the structure of the jaws, or more precisely, the appearance of characteristic incisors. These animals were quite unpretentious and gradually adapted to different conditions habitat, while the structural features, depending on the lifestyle, began to stand out more and more clearly.

Ancient small rodents moved by running, and then species appeared that learned to jump. At the same time, a group of underground rodents became isolated, the structure of the skull, paws and claws of which began to have characteristic features.

Some of the most common rodents today - mice and rats - appeared much later. Representatives of ancient species of these animals were present in the European layers of the Pliocene.

The resettlement of representatives of the detachment is associated mainly with humans, because rodents were “stowaways” on ships on sea voyages, and later traveled with camel caravans in the desert and on trains along railways. They live next to humans to this day. They feel very comfortable in homes and on livestock farms, in grain warehouses and food pantries.

Rodents: names of genera of main pests

Rats are members of the genus Rattus, which has 63 species. These animals are distributed throughout the globe. But 2 species of rats cause particularly serious damage to humanity, damaging crops, destroying food and being carriers of diseases. It's about about black and which is often called pasyuk. Both are bright representatives of human parasites. From a lifestyle point of view, some differences can be identified between representatives of these species. The black one is a more “capricious” rat. The rodent loves warmth and lives, as a rule, in human housing, while the pasyuk feels quite comfortable outside of housing, roaming the expanses of villages and villages. The black rat gained its ubiquity by traveling on ships. In Britain, it was these rodents that became carriers of the plague, which claimed millions of human lives. China is considered the birthplace of Pasyuk, from which in the first half of the 18th century. The rodent came to Europe, pushing aside the black rat. Both species are very dangerous rodents. They can be carriers of plague, typhoid, leptospirosis, and toxoplasmosis.

Mice are relatively small rodents. Species with this name are found in several families. The most typical representatives of moderate climate zone- tiny mouse and wood mouse; African continent - grass mouse and striped Australia - Asian wood mouse and spiny rice hamster. But the most famous is still house mouse, despite its small size, poses a serious threat to human health. Other mice affect the economic situation of countries by damaging crops and supplies food products. This problem is especially acute in the tropics. Almost all mice are omnivores, but they prefer plant foods and only occasionally eat insects. Mice are among the most small mammals. A striking example is a dwarf hamster whose weight is no more than 10 g.

Voles are close relatives of hamsters, rats and mice. Voles and lemmings are part of a distinctive subfamily whose representatives inhabit cold areas Northern Hemisphere. In external structure There is characteristic features: short tail and rounded nose. The largest animal of the 99 species of this genus is the American musk rat, which is also called the muskrat. These mammalian rodents have adapted to life in water, acquiring special morphological characteristics in the process of evolution. Being mostly herbivorous, voles become a threat to agriculture and Food Industry. Many mammals and birds of prey feed on these rodents, indicating their ecological importance.

Rodents have spread so widely on the planet that they have infested all continents except Antarctica.
The largest rodent lived in South America 4 million years ago. The weight of individuals could reach 1 ton. Today, the largest representative of the order is the capybara.
One Malayan porcupine ended up in the Guinness Book of Records, having lived for 27 years and 4 months.
Japanese geneticists have created a species of mutant rodent. Distinctive feature laboratory mutant is that he is able to tweet like a sparrow.
The image of a chipmunk is on the coats of arms of two cities in the Sverdlovsk region - Volchansk and Krasnoturinsk.
IN Chinese calendar there is and in Zoroastrian - the year of the Beaver and the year of the Squirrel.
The most popular rodents are the cartoon rescue team from Walt Disney's work: Chip and Dale the chipmunks, Rocky the rat and Nut the mouse. Rodents with funny voices from the comedy film “Alvin and the Chipmunks” are also widely known.
Professor Jenny Morton from the University of Cambridge conducted research on the effects of methamphetamine on mammals. Experiments were carried out on mice. It was discovered by chance that loud music enhanced the toxic properties of the drug. Of a group of 40 individuals who listened to Bach, only 4 died during or immediately after the experiment. But out of 40 mice that listened to The Prodigy’s music, 7 died immediately on the spot. The point, of course, is not at all that individuals aesthetically distinguish what they listen to, but rather the effect of rhythmic pulsating noise, which provoked an increase in the toxic effect.
Smart rats are alcoholics. This feature really sets this species apart. Rodents that are more successful at solving a maze cannot resist a drink. This unusual conclusion was made by professors at Concordia University in Montreal. Those individuals who were well oriented in the maze quickly realized the connection between alcohol and the feeling of euphoria that it causes. This is indicated by the fact that, upon smelling the smell of alcohol, they began to lap it up. But the less intelligent rats did not catch this connection and did not even approach the glass, scared unpleasant smell alcohol.
Using a virus derived from HIV, scientists from the California Institute of Technology conducted interesting experiments, transferring to animals certain genes with certain properties from other creatures. In particular, such an impressive experiment was carried out: a jellyfish gene was introduced into a one-cell mouse embryo, which causes its glow. Surprisingly, mice with a foreign gene were born with organs glowing with green fluorescent light. The glow became a persistent property of these mice, and subsequent offspring also had this trait.

Domestic rodents

Children often dream about pet. But only a few have the patience, strength and time to care. Domestic rodents can be called the most unpretentious in this regard. Care for these funny animals is minimal. No special conditions are required for maintenance, and their cost is quite affordable.

As a first pet for small child you need to choose just rodents. After all, the baby can feed the funny little animal himself and take part in cleaning the cage.

Pet stores offer a wide variety of pets such as rodents. A list of the most common ones is given below.

A huge number of hamsters, rats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, chinchillas, decorative rabbits, chipmunks, ferrets and even squirrels are sold in stores. The most “convenient” are, of course, hamsters, which are distinguished by their calm and docile nature. In addition, they are very easy to tame. Squirrels, chinchillas, rabbits and ferrets need more space and are more difficult to care for.

Rats in New York

Despite the fact that mammals are the most evolutionarily advanced class, rodents (like rats) are a byproduct of civilization. They developed along with us, and the larger the human settlement, the more beautiful rodents feel among people. This is probably why rats chose New York as the world capital.

According to rough estimates, in this city the number of rats exceeds the number of people eight times. No matter what methods the city authorities came up with to combat rodents, these mammalian rodents still found a way to survive.

Unwanted neighbors become larger, stronger and more fertile over the years. It is also interesting that city rats are much more cunning than rural ones. They learned to understand many things. For example, if one of the individuals died after swallowing the bait, its relatives will never eat it. They have studied underground communications and are able to move throughout the city along certain routes.

Rats live next to humans for many centuries, multiplying at lightning speed. A rat at 8 weeks of age is still asexual. And after a year, she is capable of producing 50 offspring annually. They, like circus performers, can fit through a narrow hole, climb well on vertical surfaces and swim. They have an excellent sense of smell and touch, are capable of jumping several meters long, and migrate in social formations.

Recently it was found that many cats have stopped attacking rats. Now they peacefully coexist with them, eating together and coexisting side by side. The reason for this is the equation of forces, which in the process of evolution in rats increased significantly.

Even New Yorkers themselves have stopped paying attention to rats; they now complement the city's appearance. The rodents have stopped hiding; they stroll imposingly along the edges of the sidewalks, generously leaving their central part to people.

Yes, rat bites no longer cause mortal danger, but still harmful to health. Children very often become victims of their bites. Every year, more than a hundred people bitten by rats are admitted to New York clinics.

Characterizing rodents only as pests is still not entirely correct. Indeed, among them there are malicious pests that deserve to be exterminated by everyone. possible ways. But there are also species without which a catastrophic imbalance in the life activity of many ecological systems would occur. And many mouse-like rodents play the role of experimental animals in laboratories.

Thus, rodents, whose names are so diverse and whose numbers are so large, differ greatly in their importance, bringing both catastrophic harm and colossal benefit to the life of humans and the planet.

Rodents make up more than a third of all mammal species. They differ from each other in size and weight. Some of them have adapted to life in extreme conditions.
The Latin name for this series is Rodentia. It comes from the verb "rodere", which translates as "to gnaw". All rodents have a similar jaw structure. They don't have fangs. There is a large space (diastema) between the incisors and molars. They have only one incisor on each side of the upper and lower jaws. Incisors have no roots. They are razor sharp. When chewing hard food, the incisors are worn out. In front they are covered exclusively hard layer enamel, and their back part consists of soft dentin. Thanks to this feature, rodent teeth are self-sharpening and have a characteristic chisel appearance. Incisors grow throughout the life of animals, which, in turn, must gnaw hard objects to grind down the hard top layer of teeth. In total, rodents can have from 12 to just over 20 teeth. The chewing surface of molars can be very diverse - from tuberculate to comb-like. The lips act as a “gate” to prevent unwanted particles from entering the mouth.
Chewing muscles. For rodents, the muscles that are located behind the cheeks on the outside of the jaw are important. These muscles not only close the jaws, but also allow the lower jaw to move forward. The different development and functions of these muscles have led to the division of rodents into three important groups (other scientists distinguish more groups). The most common of them are mouse-like ones, which were able to adapt to different foods and incredible living conditions.
Spread of rodents. Widespread rodents is due to the fact that these animals are very fertile. Many of them can have several litters per year, and in each they produce a large number of young. There is a kind of self-regulation of their fertility. Rodents have adapted to a variety of foods. During the year they could have up to 13 litters of 8 cubs each. Typically, rodents are herbivores, but under the influence of conditions, many of them have become almost omnivores.
Unlike the babies of other mice, newborn babies needle mouse at least partially covered with fur.
Did you know? Even a brick wall is not an obstacle for rats. The incisors of these rodents are capable of crushing an object with a force of approximately 1680 kg per 1 cm2.
During the catastrophic increase in the number of house mice in Central California, which took place in 1926, according to researchers, there were about 20 rodents per 1 m2.
Some representatives of the slipak family (Spalacidae) dig up to 500 kg of soil within a month.

Rodents are very prolific, so many of their species are very numerous. Rodents - This is one of the many orders of mammals. During the process of evolution, many species of rodents arose. They have adapted to life in a wide variety of conditions - some live underground, others in trees or even in water.
Mouse-like. The mouse family forms the largest group of rodents, and, in general, a quarter of all modern species mammals. Mostly mice and rats.
Some of them, such as voles and lemmings, have short and squat bodies, perfectly adapted for digging tunnels underground or even in snow. Blind people have adapted to life underground. They do not have ears or a tail, and their eyes are covered with skin. The incisors in them protrude even with the mouth closed, since animals use these teeth mainly for digging. A wide nose helps the blind in the construction of underground galleries. Jerboas can survive even in the desert, so the necessary moisture is obtained from food.
PIG-LIKE. Representatives of the pig-like suborder, with the exception of the North American porcupine, inhabiting Central and South America. These animals are different big head and a rounded nose. They give birth to fairly independent, fur-covered cubs. The sizes of pig-like animals vary greatly - from the size guinea pig to the size of the most modern rodent - the capybara.
Many of them live on the ground, but North American porcupines spend most of their lives in trees. Nutria belonging to this order are excellent swimmers. They have swim membranes that help them move easily in the water. The Patagonian maru can be recognized by its long legs and large ears. This animal looks like a hare. Capybaras form numerous herds that stay close to the banks of water bodies. These are the most modern rodents. Adults can weigh up to 75 kg.
Squirrel ones. In addition to the well-known squirrels, the squirrel suborder also includes beavers, chipmunks, longlegs, dormice and ground squirrels. Beavers can cut down trees with their exceptionally strong incisors. They build dams and huts from tree trunks. Eyes tree species squirrels allow them to accurately determine the distance they want to cover when jumping from one tree to another. Some other species, for example, flying squirrels, can fly over considerable distances with the help of flight membranes located on the sides of the body.
EVOLUTION. Most of the prehistoric rodents whose fossils have been found in North America and Eurasia, were small animals very similar to mice. Only a few developed species reached the size of a beaver.
The fossilization of these ancient rodents is combined into one common family Paramyidae. They date back to the Paleocene period. At the beginning, these primitive rodents first developed characteristic incisors, only the front ones were covered with hard enamel.
Over time, rodents became more numerous, new forms arose, and adapted to certain living conditions. The first rodents more often moved along the ground by running, and later species appeared whose body structure and hind limbs indicate that they moved mainly by jumping. In other species, the skull, paws and claws were adapted rather to an underground lifestyle.
Mice and rats, however, formed later than other rodent families. The family of mice, including mainly ancient species of mice and rats, appears in the European layers of the Pliocene, which dates back 5 million years. Man is the main culprit in the spread of rats and mice throughout the globe.
These rodents, easily adapting to different living conditions, traveled on ships, with camel caravans, and later on trains as “stowaways.” They feel great next to a person - they settled in her house, eat her bread, spoil his things, warm themselves by her hearth. There are especially many rats and mice living in livestock farms, pantries, and warehouses where grain and other food products are stored.
Porcupine: feeds on shoots and roots of plants, often hunts insects or picks up carrion. The porcupine is active at night and rests during the day in dry burrows or rock crevices.
House mouse: most often lives in human dwellings and eats almost everything edible it can get its hands on. She loves grain most of all.
Beaver: The second largest rodent after the capybara. He is an excellent swimmer and diver. Characteristics beaver - swimming membranes and a flat tail covered with scales - a remarkable adaptation for life in water.
Capybara or capybara: it is the world's largest rodent. The capybara uses its powerful incisors only for eating grass. Thanks to the small swimming membranes between the toes, the animal swims well.

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Types of rodents

American badger

Nobody knows when people first became acquainted with rats; this animal always lives next to us.

The rat belongs to mammals, to the order - rodents, suborder - mouse-like. The most common animal on the planet is the rat.

Appearance of the rat, description and characteristics

The body of the rat is oval-shaped and stocky. The body of the animal is from 8 cm to 30 cm, weighing up to 500 g, there are small ones weighing 37 grams.

The eyes and ears are small, the muzzle is sharp and elongated. Is the tail longer than the size of the rat's body, hairless or covered with fine hair? invisible to the human eye (a type of black rat has a tail with a thick coat of fur). There is a species of short-tailed rodents in the world.

A rat's teeth are arranged tightly together in rows and are designed for chewing food. These animals are omnivores; they differ from other predators in the absence of fangs and diastema - this is an area on the gums where there are no teeth.

There are no dental roots, so growth occurs continuously throughout the rat's life. For convenience, they need to constantly grind down their teeth, otherwise she will not be able to close her mouth.

The teeth are strong with hard yellow enamel, which makes it possible to easily chew through concrete, cement and hard various metals.

The rodent's body is covered with a thick, dense coat of guard hairs. The color range is varied, gray with different shades of dark or light, red, orange and even yellow.

These amazing animals have movable toes on their paws, so they easily climb trees and prepare nests in hollows for habitat.

Rats are very active and agile animals, running 17 km a day and jumping up to 1 meter in height. They swim well, are not afraid of water and can catch fish.

Rats often turn their heads different sides, because they have a small viewing angle, the world see in shades of grey.

Hearing functions perfectly, rats distinguish sounds with a frequency of up to 40 kHz (humans up to 20 kHz).

Life expectancy is from 1 year to 3 years. In laboratory conditions, rats can live 2 times longer.

Difference between rats and mice

Rats and mice are representatives of the same suborder, but they differ significantly in appearance and behavior.

The body of a mouse is small, up to 20 cm, weighing up to 50 grams, rats are twice as large, they are dense and muscular, weighing up to 900 grams.

Pronounced distinctive shapes of the head and eyes; in mice it is triangular and slightly flattened with big eyes, rats have an elongated muzzle with small eyes.

A strong body and powerful toes allow rats to jump high up to 1 meter; mice cannot do such tricks.

Mice are cowardly animals and are afraid to appear in front of people, but this does not bother rats; they can defend themselves. There are many cases where they attacked a person.

Rats are omnivores, eating meat and plant foods. On the contrary, mice have a greater preference for cereals and seeds.

Habitat of rats and lifestyle

Large rats live all over the world except Antarctica and the polar regions. They live in groups, very rarely living alone.

Most often, groups consist of hundreds of individuals with one male at the head and two to three females. The territory of residence for each group is its own, extending up to 2 thousand square meters.

The diet depends on the habitat. Omnivorous rats eat approximately 25 grams of food per day, but without water it is difficult for them daily norm moisture up to 35 ml.

Gray rats mainly feed on protein foods of animal origin, small rodents, toads, and chicks.

Black rats prefer food of plant origin: green plants, nuts, fruits, cereals.

Rats are wary of pigs, hedgehogs, ferrets, dogs and cats - these are the main land enemies. Among the birds, the most feared and avoided rodents are the hawk, owl, eagle and kite.

Reproduction and lifespan of rats

Rats do not have a mating season; they can breed year-round. But the peak of sexual activity comes in spring and summer. The female mates with different males, pregnancy in rats lasts up to 24 days, and the lactating female carries the cubs for up to 34 days.

Rats prepare nests in advance and cover the bottom with soft grass, cloth, and paper for the birth of offspring. The cubs emerge naked and blind. When dead rat pups are born, the mother devours them; the number at birth can be up to 20.

The male can eat all the offspring if there are non-viable rat pups; he does not take part in caring for them. The female, on the contrary, provides meticulous care, feeds milk, licks the babies and removes debris from the nest.

After 17 days, the little rats open their eyes, and a month later they lead a full life on their own. Puberty begins after 3-4 months, and they can reproduce 6 months after birth. Life expectancy is up to two years.

Gray rats breed up to 8 times a year, but black rats breed only in the warm season. Today, experts estimate that there are 2 rats per person in the world.

Why are rats dangerous?

Rats are a disaster for all humanity. They gnaw through walls in the basements of houses, sewer pipes, damage electrical mains, and damage crops.

Rats are carriers of more than 20 infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis, plague, salmonellosis, pseudotuberculosis and others. Many are dangerously fatal to human life.

It is difficult to exterminate rats using chemicals because the animal’s body quickly adapts to the poison and develops protective immunity to toxins.

Rats are a pet

Rats are ideal pets. They quickly become tamed to humans and recognize their owner by the face.

Neat and clean animals do not require special care. They will give their owner many funny moments; they are very interesting to watch.

But the owner of a pet rat should not forget that this is a social animal and it is difficult for him to live alone. The rat definitely needs a mate, otherwise a mental disorder may develop.

Type of rat, name and photo

There are about 70 species of rats in the world, most of which are little studied; below are common species of rodents with brief description and a photo of a rat.

The gray rat (pasyuk) is one of the large varieties up to 25 cm long, the tail is not taken into account. Weight from 140 grams to 390 grams, with a wide, elongated muzzle. The gray coat of young animals becomes orange with age. It lives near water, in dense vegetation and digs holes up to 5 meters.

The black rat is smaller in size than the gray rat, with a much smaller muzzle and rounded ears. Body length up to 22 cm, weight about 300 grams. A significant difference between this species of rodent is the tail, which is densely covered with hair and 4-5 times longer than the size of the body.

Lives in Asia, Africa and Europe. For a long time can live without water, so it lives in dry places. The wool is black with a green tint.

The small rat differs from its fellows in size. Body length up to 15 cm maximum with body weight up to 80 grams. It has a brown coat color, a sharp muzzle and inconspicuous small ears. The tail is as long as the body without any signs of fur. Lives in Southeast Asia.

The long-haired rat is characterized by long hair and high activity. Males grow up to 18 cm, and females up to 16 cm in length. The tail is 4-5 cm smaller in size from the body. Habitat in arid deserts.

The Turkestan rat lives in China, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. The fur is red, the belly is pale yellow, the body length is up to 23 cm. This variety is similar to the gray one, but has a denser body and a wide head in size.

Black-tailed rat or rabbit. It has an average size of up to 22 cm, weight about 190 grams.

An interesting feature of this type of tail is a tuft of hair at the tip.

The back is painted gray and Brown color with noticeable black hairs.

They live in Australia and New Guinea mainly in eucalyptus forests, dense grass and shrubs. They lead an active lifestyle at night and hide in burrows during the day.

Interesting and educational facts about the life of rats

In India there is a Karni Mata temple where rats are revered, cared for and protected. If the rules for caring for a sacred animal and killing it are violated, this person is obliged to bring a golden figurine in the form of a rat to the temple.

In some American states Hitting a rat with a baseball bat is prohibited and will result in a $1,000 fine.

In Asian and African countries, rats are considered a worthy delicacy for a festive dinner. Rat meat is considered a delicacy.

In year gray rat eats up to 12 kg of various cereal products. Experts have calculated that every year about 6 kg of one farmer’s harvest is spent on feeding one rat.

RODENTS (Rodentia), order of the class Mammals. Fossil remains have been known since the Paleocene. Small and medium-sized animals; body length from 5 (mouserfish) to 130 (capybara) cm; weight from 6 g to 50 kg. Externally, rodents are very diverse; among them there are various life forms: underground (diggers, gophers, zokor, mole rats), arboreal (squirrels, flying squirrels), aquatic (beavers, nutria, muskrats), adapted to fast running (jerboas, maras, agouti). The hair of rodents is represented by soft, uniform fur (mole rats, zokor), fur, well divided into guard hairs and underfur (beavers, nutria), quills (porcupines) or completely absent (naked mole rats). The forelimbs are 5-4-toed, the hind limbs are 5-3-toed. What is common to the order is the structure of the dental system. All rodents have highly developed incisors (1 pair in each jaw), which do not have roots and grow throughout the life of the animal; their cutting edge self-sharpens when worn (due to the different hardness of enamel and dentin). In some rodents ( gray voles) constant growth is also characteristic of molars. There are no fangs, resulting in a large gap (diastema) between the incisors and cheek teeth - premolars or molars. The brain is relatively large, the surface of the hemispheres is smooth.

Rodents are the largest (about 355 genera, more than 1,600 species) and diverse order of mammals. It contains 30-35 modern families, 3 of which are the most numerous and include up to 2/3 of modern species: squirrels (about 40 genera and 230 species), hamsters (6-8 subfamilies, up to 100 genera, about 500 species) and mice ( up to 17 subfamilies, about 120 genera, more than 400 species). A number of families consist of a single genus of the same name with 1-2 species (beavers, longlegs, capybaras, pacarnaceae).

Rodents are distributed everywhere except Antarctica; inhabit all natural zones - from the tundra to the desert, from lowland swamps to the highlands. The sharp incisors of rodents are used not only for gnawing solid food, but also for digging. Most rodents are active around the clock; There are species that are active only at night or only during daylight hours. A number of species hibernate for varying durations, accompanied by a decrease in metabolic rate and body temperature (marmots, ground squirrels, dormouse, etc.). The shelters of rodents are very diverse: deep, complex burrows (viscachas, mole rats, tukotuks), above-ground nests, on the ground or in soil voids (black rat, house mice, mouse mice), huts with an underwater entrance made of branches (beavers) or grass (muskrats) , hanging nests made of grass (baby mouse) or in trees (squirrels). Rodents feed on plant foods (seeds, fruits, juicy green parts of plants, bark and wood), many include small vertebrates and invertebrates in their diet, some are exclusively insectivorous (grasshopper hamsters), piscivorous (fish-eating hamsters) or carnivorous (a number of species of large rats) . They can lead a solitary or colonial lifestyle, including with division of functions, like social insects (naked mole rats).

In all natural areas Rodents predominate in numbers among mammals. As a rule, rodents are highly fertile: several litters per year (usually 2-4), up to 8-15 cubs each. Many people experience early puberty (at 2-3 months of life). The number of small rodents (mice, voles) can increase 100 times or more in some years, often giving way to years of almost complete extinction over large areas.

Great everywhere ecological role rodents For example, in the tundra, changes in lemming numbers largely determine the dynamics of the entire ecosystem; in deserts, the burrowing activity of rodents supports the existence of many animals, promotes soil mixing, determines the moisture regime and species composition vegetation; By creating dams and swamping vast areas, beavers form a specific landscape.

Some rodents (including chinchilla, beaver, nutria, muskrat) are valuable objects of the fur trade. Many rodents (wood voles, lemmings, gray voles, etc.) serve as the main food for valuable fur-bearing predators (arctic fox, sable, marten, etc.). Among rodents there are species that cause great damage to crop production, agriculture and forestry, as well as stocks food products(rats, mice, ground squirrels, hamsters). Many species of rodents are distributors of human infectious diseases (including plague, tularemia, rickettsiosis, leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, tick-borne encephalitis, hemorrhagic fevers, etc.). Gray and black rats and house mice have spread throughout the world along with humans, forming populations that are entirely dependent on human activity. Some rodents can cause significant damage to various technical devices and structures.

Among rodents there are species with a small range, adapted to unique regional ecosystems (viscacha, Patagonian mara, pacarna). Many species of rodents have become rare or have a steady downward trend in numbers. About 700 species of rodents are included in the IUCN Red Book, 7 species are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. There are examples of successful population restoration (beavers).

Lit.: Sokolov V. E. Systematics of mammals. M., 1977. Part 2: Orders: lagomorphs, rodents; Gromov I.M., Erbaeva M.A. Lagomorphs and rodents. St. Petersburg, 1995.