I was bustling through one of the classrooms when I heard a gentle, soothing voice talking to the rats.

She was saying sweet little nothings to them, and she stopped me to ask what they were. I told her they were rats and a look of horror came over her face.

“OH! EWWW!”

I was puzzled because not 30 seconds earlier they were darlings.

I do understand her revulsion for wild rats but the rats at the center are an entirely different breed. The rats that live at the center are called hooded rats or “fancy rats “due to the markings on their faces, heads, and down their backs.

In the history books

Throughout human history, rats have always settled wherever humans were. They feed on the food we throw away and can spread diseases among humans, like the medieval Black Death, which was spread by fleas that lived on rats.

It’s been estimated that rats destroy up to 20% of the world’s food supply. A single rat consumes about one ounce of food daily but spoils twice that through feeding, contamination, and hoarding. Besides these activities, they make stored food rot and more susceptible to insects and mold. It’s estimated that a single rat can leave 25,000 droppings a year!

Rats are crepuscular animals meaning that they are active throughout the day and night hours. Although they vastly outnumber humans, we rarely see them.

They are experts at staying out of sight. My husband made a comment one day about the deer in our development and how they are like rats because they are all over the place. I asked him when was last time he had seen a rat!

Teeth and whiskers

Rats’ teeth never stop growing. They need to be worn down – or eating would become impossible. I am always looking for books on wildlife and when I saw the book More Cunning Than Man: A Social History of Rats and Men by Robert Hendrickson I had to have it. One of the most fascinating things in the book (and there were many) was that rats can chew through concrete!

Their whiskers are more sensitive than human fingertips. Rats brush the long hairs against objects or the floor, helping them build up a detailed picture of their environment. They use the whiskers as one might use a walking stick to test out the ground in front of them. They learn quickly, memorizing routes and pathways, and can recall what they’ve learned.

Their excellent sense of smell, touch and hearing compensates for their poor eyesight, allowing them to navigate, find food, and communicate in their environment.

I see and hear you

You can tell a lot about animals by where the eyes are placed on their heads. Predators have forward-facing eyes for binocular vision, greater depth perception, and field of view. Prey typically have eyes on the sides of their heads for a 360-degree view to detect threats from almost any angle. With eyes on either side of their heads that can move in opposite directions, rats are even able to see what is happening above them. Very handy for spotting any rat-eating birds.

Rats have exceptional hearing that allow them to hear with pinpoint accuracy including sounds that are too high-pitched for humans to hear. They may also ‘smile’ with their ears! When they’re happy their ears relax, become droopy and slightly pinker.

James Cagney’s most famous, though often misquoted, catchphrase is “You dirty rat!” from the 1932 film Taxi, though he said, “You dirty, yellow-bellied rat!”

I don’t know why that insult was thought up because rats groom themselves and each other by constantly licking their fur – sometimes they’ll even ‘comb’ fur into place with their teeth. I guess I could say that rats are squeak-y clean.

Little acrobats

Rats’ long tails act as counterbalances, helping to keep them steady and stable. They also regulate their body heat and communicate with other rats through their tails.

They are also great swimmers and can swim more than a mile underwater.

Rats have incredible memories. Rats are intelligent, social animals and “know” each other and remember each other. I took a baby rat out of its tank to show visitors and when I placed him back in the tank, his mother had to check him out to make sure he was not an interloper! They can also remember people, too.

I like to think they remember me for all the extra treats I give them!

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.