Quick Facts
Size Up to 16″, including tail
ColorGrayish or reddish-brown to blackish; lighter gray underbelly
Unique CharacteristicsLarger bodies; acute hearing and olfactory sense; hairy tail; color-blind
Legs 4
Other namesCommon Rat, Street Rat, Laboratory Rat, Fancy Rat
DiseasesHantavirus; Toxoplasmosis; Trichinosis