Editing Black rat (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
The black rat originated in India and Southeast Asia, and spread to the [[Near East]] and [[Egypt]], and then throughout the [[Roman Empire]], reaching Great Britain as early as the 1st century AD.<ref>{{cite book|author=Donald W. Engels|title=Classical Cats: The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Cat|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=1999|isbn=978-0-415-21251-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkqtGl7VN44C&pg=PA111|page=111}}</ref> [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]] subsequently spread it throughout the world. The black rat is again largely confined to warmer areas, having been supplanted by the [[brown rat]] (''Rattus norvegicus'') in cooler regions and urban areas. In addition to the brown rat being larger and more aggressive, the change from wooden structures and thatched roofs to bricked and tiled buildings favored the burrowing brown rats over the arboreal black rats. In addition, brown rats eat a wider variety of foods, and are more resistant to [[Extreme weather|weather extremes]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Teisha Rowland|url=http://www.independent.com/news/2009/dec/04/ancient-origins-modern-pet-rats/?print|title=Ancient Origins of Pet Rats|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200319/http://www.independent.com/news/2009/dec/04/ancient-origins-modern-pet-rats/?print|archive-date=24 September 2015|website=[[Santa Barbara Independent]]|date=4 December 2009}}</ref>

Black rat populations can increase exponentially under certain circumstances, perhaps having to do with the timing of the fruiting of the [[bamboo]] plant, and cause devastation to the plantings of subsistence farmers; this phenomenon is known as ''[[mautam]]'' in parts of [[India]].<ref>{{cite episode|title=Nova: Rat Attack|network=[[PBS]]|series=[[Nova (American TV program)|Nova]]|date=7 April 2010}}</ref>

Black rats are thought to have arrived in Australia with the [[First Fleet]], and subsequently spread to many coastal regions in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Animal Species: Black Rat |last=Evans|first=Ondine|date=1 April 2010|work=Australian Museum website|publisher=Australian Museum|location=Sydney, Australia |url=https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/black-rat/ |access-date=31 December 2010}}</ref>

Black rats adapt to a wide range of habitats. In urban areas they are found around warehouses, residential buildings, and other human settlements. They are also found in agricultural areas, such as in barns and crop fields.<ref>{{cite web |title=Black Rats|last1=Tech |first1=Texas |url=https://www.depts.ttu.edu/nsrl/mammals-of-texas-online-edition/Accounts_Introduced_Rodentia/Rattus_rattus.php |website=Natural Science Research Laboratory |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> In urban areas, they prefer to live in dry upper levels of buildings, so they are commonly found in wall cavities and false ceilings. In the wild, black rats live in cliffs, rocks, the ground, and trees.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rattus Rattus |url=https://www.pestsolutions.co.uk/pest-library/rodent-pest-species/black-rats-rattus-rattus |website=Pest Solutions |date=22 November 2022 |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> They are great climbers and prefer to live in palms and trees, such as pine trees. Their nests are typically spherical and made of shredded material, including sticks, leaves, other vegetation and cloth. In the absence of palms or trees, they can burrow into the ground.<ref name = black>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th1b.htm|title= The Black Rat (''Rattus Rattus'')|author=Bennet, Stuart M. |work=The Pied Piper|access-date=22 April 2011}}</ref> Black rats are also found around fences, ponds, riverbanks, streams, and reservoirs.<ref name = roof >{{cite web |title=Roof Rats|author=Marsh, Rex E.|year=1994 |work=Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management |publisher=Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage |url=http://icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/RoofRats.asp|access-date=22 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521025949/http://icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/RoofRats.asp|archive-date=21 May 2011}}</ref>