Where Rats Live Map
WouterThis handy where rats live map provides an easy-to-read overview of where rats are most common. It shows the density of rat sightings in neighborhoods, including Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights, and Williamsburg. For example, the area between 23rd Street and 28th Street, and parts of Hell’s Kitchen are hot spots for rat sightings. The Upper West Side is a much rattier area, with areas above 100th Street and east of Columbia University having high densities. The Bronx also shows a relatively high density of rat sightings.
Another city with a high rat population is Seattle, home to the famed Space Needle. On a national map, Seattle might seem unassuming, but its rat population has reached alarming levels. Between 2008 and 2009, city officials counted 140 reports of rats in public restrooms. This number is up from just a few years ago, when residents of Seattle faced fewer complaints.
Rats are medium-sized mammals that have spread across the world, with the two most common species being the black and the brown. They originate in Asia, but have since migrated to many different areas. In Europe, the brown rat is the dominant species, occurring in almost every area of the country. It is one of the most common pests in residential areas.
The map of where rats live went viral this week, and shows that our planet is populated with these pests. Not only are polar regions completely invaded by rats, but also territory within the pentagonal boundaries of Alberta. This map was first published in a tweet by Adam Fisher, and it has been shared more than five thousand times. The only real winners in this invasion were the four million people of Alberta.
