The Norwegian Rat

Anyone who has lived in a major East Coast city in the United States has probably had the misfortune of coming across a Norwegian rat. These iconic pests are quintessential to the American urban landscape. Yet, the Norwegian, or brown rat, does not merely coexist with humans. Its continued success is the direct result of human activity. This relationship did not develop overnight, in fact, it did not develop in cities at all. The brown rat’s dependence on humans dates back nearly 4,000 years, to its initial spread out of Asia. (Munshi-South et al., 2024).