Native Species of Rats in Washington

Black rats (Rattus rattus), also known as ship rats, roof rats, house rats and fruit rats, have accompanied humans around the globe, although they aren’t usually very welcome. This rat originated in India and is now found almost everywhere, although the Norwegian rat predominates in most of North America. Black rats are excellent climbers and are often found around orchards, earning them their alternative name of fruit rats.

The Norwegian rat (Rattus norvegicus) is another species associated with humans and originally came from Eurasia, specifically Siberia and China. Pet rats belong to this species, as do most of the wild ones viewed as pests in the U.S. In Washington, the species is as widespread as it is elsewhere in North America, often living in extremely close proximity to humans. If you see a rat in your kitchen, he’s probably Norwegian.

The gerbil-like kangaroo rats resemble true rats only in terms of their size; they are not at all closely related. In Washington their family -- Heteromyidae -- is represented by Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) and the smaller great basin pocket mouse (Parognathus parvus). Ord’s kangaroo rat is a desert animal, well adapted to dry conditions and mostly solitary outside the breeding season.

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is another Washington rodent only superficially similar to rats, belonging to the vole and lemming family (Cricetidae), rather than mice and rats. In direct contrast to the Norwegian and black rats, the muskrat is native to Washington but appears as an introduced species in other parts of the world, including large areas of Europe. Muskrats prefer wet habitats, living in and around lakes, rivers and streams, where they create complex burrow systems in the banks.

The bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) is another member of the family Cricetidae. As the name suggests, the species inhabits woodlands but is also quite happy in desert and scrubland. The main thing that bushy-tailed woodrats appear to look for in a home is a stony aspect, nesting in cliffs, rocky outcrops, caves and even abandoned mine shafts.