Black rat

The black rat (Rattus rattus)—also known as ship rat, roof rat, or house rat—is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus Rattus, in the subfamily Murinae. Black rats are generalist omnivores. They are serious pests to farmers because they eat a wide range of agricultural crops. They are black to light brown in color with a lighter underside. Tamed black rats are sometimes kept as pets, but are much less common in this role than the larger brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). The black rat is one of the many species originally described by the zoologist Carl Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae. It was originally named as Mus rattus, in the mouse genus.