There are more than 60 species of rat across the world. The largest is the Bosavi woolly rat, found in Papua New Guinea, which is typically 80cm long
The adage that you are only ever six feet from a rat is an urban myth; the number is anywhere from 10 to 164ft, depending on where you live
A rat’s front teeth grow 11 to 14 cm each year, which they wear down by gnawing on surfaces.
A rat can tread water for three days, go without food for four days and survive being flushed down the toilet. Some species can swim up to one mile in open water
Rats can fall from a height of 15 metres without getting hurt and jump one metre in the air from a flat surface
Rats could one day become bigger than cows, claims geologist Dr Jan Zalasiewicz, from the University of Leicester. He said: “Given enough time, rats could probably grow to be at least as large as the capybara, the world’s largest living rodent, that can reach 80 kilos (17lb)”
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