It’s World Rat Day, so here’s a quick roundup of interesting facts about rats and humans
Oh, Rats… 2,000 Rats Were Specially Bred For The Venetian Catacombs Scene – Indiana Jones movie
“After receiving his father’s secret journal in the post, Indy heads straight for Italy to meet up with Dr. Elsa Schneider, who initially assists in his quest to locate the Holy Grail, but as they venture down into the ancient catacombs of Venice, they quickly discover there is more than just chemistry between them.
In actual fact, the underground tunnels are infested with rats – thousands of them – all of which were specially bred for this skin-crawling scene. The producers reportedly ordered the disease-free rodents from the same company that previously supplied snakes and critters on set, and then substituted them out for mechanical rats during the torching scene.”
https://youtu.be/wzXKG5_Z28Q
From Days of the Year
Rats in popular culture
“Sadly, the misconceptions and prejudices surrounding rats have often influenced their depiction in popular culture. A classic and long-standing example is the German tale of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, in which a rat-catcher deals with an infestation by charming the creatures away with music, before later doing the same with the local children when he is denied payment.
These lovable rodents are often portrayed as conniving, sinister and villainous in many cultures around the world, and common vernacular is also based on these stereotypes. The term ‘rat’ is commonly used as an insult, especially for informants, hence the phrase ‘to rat someone out’. It’s also a term used by trade unions for employers, with strikes in the US often involving large inflatable rats.
However, there are much more positive celebrations also available in the world of art and culture. The beloved children’s book The Wind in the Willows tells the tale of Mole and Rat – although actually a water vole, also known as a water rat – and their adventures, with Rat depicted as a kind, poetic soul and a loyal companion to Mole.
The Disney Pixar film Ratatouille follows Remy, a lovable and determined young rat on his journey to become a chef. In the process he overcomes various negative stereotypes about rats, before finally succeeding in becoming “the finest chef in France” and opening up his own restaurant.”
Actually…. the water vole is in real trouble!
“ The water vole is under serious threat from habitat loss and predation by the American mink. Found along our waterways, it is similar-looking to the brown rat, but with a blunt nose, small ears and furry tail. ( https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/water-vole )
More about animals of Wind in the Willows
Rakali/Water-rat – Australia’s “otter”
“Australia supports a diverse array of native rodents that have been a part of the local landscape for several million years. The largest of these is the Australian water-rat (or rakali), a very attractive animal weighing up to 1.3 kilograms – as big as a medium-sized platypus. The water-rat’s ancestors are believed to have originally dispersed to Australia from New Guinea, where several closely related species are found today.”
Noteworthy here : “Rakali are also adept at killing the introduced cane toads found in Australia’s tropical north. By flipping the toads over before biting them, they avoid the poisonous parotid glands found on the toad’s neck region.”
From IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group
“The Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) is globally widespread and costs primary industry hundreds of millions of dollars per year. It has caused or contributed to the extinction or range reduction of native mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates through predation and competition. It restricts the regeneration of many plant species by eating seeds and seedlings, eats food crops and spoils human food stores by urinating and defecating in them. Additional economic damage is caused by chewing through power cables and spreading diseases.”
