Brown Rat (Noun)
Meaning
Common domestic rat; serious pest worldwide.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The brown rat is widely regarded as a pest and can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans and other animals.
- In some areas, brown rats have displaced the black rat, the more agile of the two species.
- The brown rat has been one of the most successful invasive species of all time, colonizing many islands and spreading across every continent.
- A number of toxins, such as brodifacoum and warfarin, are available for poisoning rats, although such products require special precautions and professional knowledge for safe and effective use, particularly where the species involved is the brown rat.
- Despite being commensal and pestilent to human beings, brown rats have proven highly successful as research subjects and continue to serve an important role in research today.