{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "rat",
  "name": "Rat",
  "scientificName": "Rattus norvegicus",
  "category": "Mammal",
  "summary": "The brown rat, also called the Norway rat, is a large, highly intelligent rodent that lives alongside people across most of the world. It has coarse brown-grey fur, a blunt snout, and a long scaly tail, and it thrives in sewers, cities, farms, and waterways. Brown rats weigh up to about 500 g, are strong swimmers and climbers, and usually live one to two years in the wild.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Mammalia",
    "order": "Rodentia",
    "family": "Muridae",
    "genus": "Rattus"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.5,
    "lengthM": 0.25,
    "topSpeedKmh": 13,
    "lifespanYears": 3
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Rattus norvegicus"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Omnivore (highly opportunistic)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Cities, sewers, farms, riverbanks worldwide"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "1–2 years in the wild"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "200–500 g (7–18 oz)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "13 km/h (8 mph)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Probably originated in northern China and Mongolia; the brown rat is now found worldwide near people on every continent except Antarctica.",
    "continents": [
      "Asia"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Rattus norvegicus.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Rattus%20norvegicus&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Rattus norvegicus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Rattus_norvegicus/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Rat.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_rat"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/rat/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/rat/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}