Rainforest Rat A giant white-tailed rat stirs in its log den Its home is in the rainforest of Australia At night the wild rat begins its search for food The nocturnal mammal climbs up tall trees Coconuts are one of its favorite foods The rat’s sharp teeth are perfect tools It can easily gnaw into tough coconut shells Both wild and pet rats are clever animals That’s one reason rats can be interesting pets FUN FACT The giant white-tailed rat is big It’s one of the biggest rodents in Australia It can weigh more than 1 8 pounds 800 grams 4
Wild Rats You can find rats in remote places such as rainforests But this mammal also lives close to humans They live in trees by water in caves and in buildings Near people wild rats eat nearly everything They scavenge for food in the trash In nature brown rats prefer meat They like snails fish and rabbits Rainforest rats eat fruit and seeds Other rats eat insects and worms Rats live in large groups called colonies Females have about eight babies at a time Each is hairless and blind at first The babies eyes open after 14 days 6
Rat Origins Rats originally came from Asia Australia and nearby islands Many rats spread to other parts of the world on explorers ships ASIA 7
