Rats – the most ancient mammals, common across the planet.But the majority of people the mere mention of rats causes disgust and revulsion.
The negative is heated, feature films, and works great on large rats with brightly-glowing in the dark eyes and orange teeth. After the cultural figures and people actively tell each other lurid stories from real life about the bloodthirsty giants who attack humans. But not all that scary. Wild giant rats breed really is extremely peaceful and tranquil animals, not capable of hurting even a small child.
The biggest rat in the world
Many people are frightened eyes tell stories that the biggest rat on earth can be the size of a cat, and...deeply mistaken. Large wild rodents, recently caught on the island of Papua in New Guinea more mewing mammals almost 4 times!!! Brand new animal, still do not have an official scientific name, lives in the crater of a dormant volcano Bosavi.
Most interesting is that the biggest rat on the planet was discovered in 2009 during the filming of the BBC, when the unprecedented size of the rodent accidentally hit the camera lens. Grey animal caught to produce the body measurements and weighing, the animal was 82 cm with body weight of 1.5 kg. only One tail of a wild rodent had a length of 30 cm, which is 2 times larger than the body of domestic fancy rats.
In addition to the impressive volume and weight of a large rodent is no different from the ordinary grey rats, common all over the planet. A new mammal called woolly rat, Bosavi before assigning it the appropriate names after a detailed study of the physiological and anatomical features of this species.
All the same features from a very large rodent is still there. Despite its intimidating appearance, the rat of Bosavi absolutely not aggressive, and even loving, so she can't be a hero horror about bloodthirsty mutants grey.
Although the residents of the capital are walking legends about a giant Indonesian rats that live in the Moscow metro. This is just another myth, consisting of information about the discovery of a giant rodent in New Guinea and the wild imagination of storytellers.
Woolly rat, Bosavi officially a rodent, having a maximum body size. Although only a thousand years ago, perhaps the palm would give another view of the giant pasyukov. Recently during the excavations in the South-East Asian archaeologists discovered the remains of ancient rats, reaching a length of nearly 1.5 m with the weight at 6 kg!!! Such gigantic animals, apparently, and describe science-fiction writers in stories about rats-mutants.
The biggest rats in Russia
From Russia to New Guinea is very far away, but somehow the drivers of the Moscow metro love to retell scary stories about the huge rats the size of a large dog, living in underground tunnels. These grey monsters are burning green or red eyes are characterized by high aggressiveness and a complete immunity to all known poisons.
Chilling is far from reality, as in Russia, the largest grey Pasyuk when measured from nose to tip of tail have a length of 40 cm and got measured to the base of the tail and is 25 cm So all the stories about the huge rat-monster in Russia is just fiction.
Grey rats weigh about 400 g, they live in sewers, basements, ground floors, eating leftover food at the city dumps. Pasyuk can warm the time to live in burrows on the banks of lakes and rivers, interfering with housing rights in the winter in search of food. Predatory rodents can eat any kind of food, both animal and vegetable origin. The invasion of the gray rat scares most people due to the destruction of property, aggression towards humans and dangerous infectious diseases that are transferred Pasyuk.
The closest relative of the grey pasyukov are the black rats, living in the Russian dry basements and attics. Black animals are much smaller than their counterparts and have a body length of 22 cm and a weight of 300 g. neither black Nor grey Pasyuk can't reach the size of cats, and especially dogs, therefore, refers to tales about hordes of rat-monsters on the territory of Russia is possible with a touch of irony.
Homemade rat were withdrawn in sterile laboratory conditions, they have become very popular Pets. Small rodents, unlike their wild relatives differ oriented person and a strong attachment to the owner. Decorative rat have developed intelligence, sense of humor, the ability to empathize and laugh.
Decorative home Pets depending on the breed and sex reach a size of 18-20 cm with a weight of 300-350 grams. Of course, sometimes kresowaty-lovers bragging about pictures of big domestic rats weighing about 500 g, but these records are a trivial consequence of obesity on the background of overfeeding and lack of regular physical activity.
Large closest relatives of rats
On planet Earth there are many wild rodents, in appearance resembling pasyukov. Of course, fans of the horror stories often photographed relatives of rats to confirm tales about aggressive grey mutants, but to the genus Rattus these mammals are irrelevant.
A giant opossum
Giant marsupials or Gambian rat lives in Africa, the major rodent grows to 90 cm in length, having a body weight up to 1.5 kg. In appearance the cleverest mammal that really looks like a huge grey Pasyuk, but is a close relative of rats and mice.
In addition, the opossum does not apply to the marsupial having a pouch for carrying newborns. The huge rodent pups are born ready for life in the external environment and are living with their mother in the nest.
The name "marsupials" was this large African animals for the large cheek pouches in which food is transferred Gambian rat like hamsters.
Giant rodent as Pasyuk, is omnivorous animals, using for food the fruits, vegetables, termites and snails. Unlike rats, African mammal suffers from low vision, which is more than kompensiruet a very developed sense of smell. This feature of the African rodent uses Belgian organization ARORA, training smart animal investigative skills to detect tuberculosis and land mines. Due to high intelligence and loving nature of a giant opossum has even become a pet in the South.
Great cane rat
Another large rodent living on the banks of the African waters. A favorite place of residence of a large cane rats are a thicket of bushes near rivers and lakes, wetlands, cultivated plantations and human settlements. Furry mammal has a very stocky build, with a growth of 60 cm, it weights up to 9 kg. the Local population successfully prey on cane rats, using meat of animals for food.
Plump rodent swim very well, most often his time spent in the water. Unlike omnivores pasyukov, cane rats are exclusively herbivorous animals, eating sugar cane, corn, pumpkin, yams, and elephant grass. Numerous attacks by swarms of large rodents inflict serious damage to agriculture, so to protect the fields of the African farmers use pythons and mongooses that eat pests.
A large bamboo rat
A large furry rodent that lives in southern China, Northern Burma and Thailand. A large animal, it grows to 50 cm and has a body weight up to 4 kg. the Main habitat of the large mammal burrows are long tunnels in which rodents dig with their powerful claws. Animal eats plant foods: roots and bamboo stalks, and the fruits of tropical trees.
A large bamboo rat has become a star of Internet videos after a resident of China caught a huge specimen of this species weighing in at 11 lbs!!! But, unfortunately, this record was not recorded anywhere, and only in the form of an impressive picture of the low Chinese with giant gray rodent in his hands.
The capybara or Vdovenko is considered the largest rodent on the planet. Animals have a body length of 1-1,4 m weight up to 65 kg. Externally, the capybara looks like a big fat Guinea pig, but not rat, so take aquatic rodent for huge Pasyuk extremely difficult. Mammal unlike rats has a large rounded head with a blunt snout, massive heavy body with short legs that have swimming membranes.
The capybara, which lives exclusively in countries with a warm climate: Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay. For your home the capybara choose the shores of large rivers, but the lack of food the animals move on land over long distances. Food for rodents, use only vegetable food. Due to large size and tasty meat resembling pork, capybaras bred in farms in Venezuela. The skin of a mammal used for the manufacture of leather goods, fat is used in the pharmaceutical industry.
Nutria is called a water rat for its bright orange teeth than grey pasyukov, but nutria or otter again is not a relative of rats. Rodent grows to 60 cm with a weight from 5 to 12 kg. In contrast to rats, nutria has specific anatomical features, due to Provodnik lifestyle: swimming webbed hind limbs and rounded stiff tail used as a rudder.
Huge rodent lives in ponds with standing water, located on the banks of rivers, lakes and swamps. Food a mammal eats reeds, water lilies and water chestnut, but with a lack of food will not abandon leeches or mollusks.
Nutria bred in fur farms to produce a valuable fur and meat. Recently furry animals began to have as Pets.
A very big stretch to rats include beavers, raccoons, mongooses, and all other furry mammals, it would wish. But once again, these animals are not even distant relatives of pasyukov. Therefore, the common tale about a giant grey mutant with glowing eyes, attacking people, just a figment of the human imagination. Rats nothing to do with it.