Description Arboretum in Zürich-Enge
Date 2 October 2014
Author Roland zh https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Roland_zh
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arboretum_Z%C3%BCrich_-_Rattus_norvegicus_-fraglich-_2014-10-02_18-50-58_(P7800).JPG

The brown rat, also referred to as common rat, street rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat (Rattus norvegicus) is one of the best known and most common rats. Thought to have originated in northern China, this rodent has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America—making it by at least this particular definition the most successful mammal on the planet after humans. With rare exceptions, the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas. Selective breeding of Rattus norvegicus has produced the laboratory rat, a model organism in biological research, as well as pet rats. Order: Rodentia, Family: Muridae, Subfamily: Murinae, Species: Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769).