The Brown Rat is an incredibly adaptable mammal and can be found almost everywhere in the UK, in any habitat: all it needs is shelter and food. Brown Rats are omnivorous, eating pretty much anything, from fruit and seeds to human food waste, insects, birds eggs or even small mammals. They are particularly common around towns and cities.
Despite its name, the black rat exhibits several colour forms. It is usually black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. Black rats are considered omnivores and eat a wide range of foods, including seeds, fruit, stems, leaves, fungi, and a variety of invertebrates and vertebrates.
*Rat smears – grease marks or smudges from the body of a rat as it repeatedly brushes up against solid objects.