Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758).

This slender animal is distinguished by having a thin naked tail of approximately 22 cm that is longer than its head-and-body length which is about 18 cm. The back is brownish or grey-brown; underparts are paler. The ears are fairly large and the palms and soles are hairless. The House Rat is largely nocturnal and is aggressive and difficult to handle. It is an agile climber and is common in dwellings, grain stores, and cultivated fields, as well as on canal banks. It eats a variety of grains and vegetables and occasionally other animals. The gestation period is just three weeks and 1-8 young are born; the female may give birth to four or five litters per year. It is an important pest because it attacks crops and stored grain; it can also carry serious diseases, such as bubonic plague, that have killed many millions of people throughout history.