How Heavy Are Rats?
WouterRats are medium-sized rodents with a long tail. They belong to the order Rodentia and are classified into a number of genera. Rattus is the stereotypical rat, but other genera include Neotoma, Bandicota, and Dipodomys.
Rats are not as large as lions or tigers, but they can still weigh a lot. The largest known rodent, Josephoartegasia monesi, lived in the Pliocene epoch and weighed one ton. When eco-spaces are barren, rodents can grow to enormous sizes. In fact, some rodents, such as capybaras, have even grown into the size of horses.
The weight of a rat depends on its species and the amount of food they eat. Some of the biggest rats recorded weighed 25 pounds. The three most common rat species are Woodrats, Norway Rats, and Roof Rats. Although all three can grow to be big, none of them can grow to the size of a 25-pound monster.
A study of coastal Mississippi rat populations found that inundation of habitats did not have an effect on the density of the population. It was also found that storms did not affect the density of the population. However, the flooding did decrease the population of rice rats, but did not change the density of the animals.
Rats weigh around one ounce at birth. However, they can grow up to two pounds and can be as long as twenty inches. They eat an ounce of food and water every day and can swim quite a distance. In fact, they can survive for three days while treading water.
