Brown Rat ....................Rattus norvegicus

The brown rat is to be found in most parts of the world but is believed to have originated in eastern Asia, from whence it spread partially on foot, and partially by ship. It came to Europe relatively late, probably around the 18th century, but when it did it spread extremely rapidly, and is still doing so today.   Some estimates give 5 rats for every human being on the earth

	This naughty one decided to use my bird table....not to be encouraged. But I left it whilst I needed a photograph.
The brown rat is larger than the black rat and is not as agile a climber. An average brown rat weighs about 400 g and has a body 250 mm long plus a long tail. Sharp claws, long sensitive whiskers and powerful teeth make this little omnivore ready for almost any meal.These animals live in organized social colonies, usually dominated by the larger males.