Rats vs Man

In the News....

In Mumbai rats seem to be making a power play for the city. :)The city is being over run by the small creatures. There aren't enough rat catchers to slow the tide.

I like rats. They're smart. I think they are the smartest of all the rodents. When living in Indiana, I saw a rat slyly walking along the side of a building. It had to be around 7 in the morning, and he was taking his time. I thought he looked like a guy sneaking away from a woman's apt after a night of anonymous sex. ;) A few years later, in Chicago, I was downtown late. It was around 9. And I see a rat about to cross the street. He was standing on the empty side walk, looking both ways nerously. When he got the all clear, he bolted. He reminded me of a guy out for a night on the town who parked really far from the bar. ;)

I read rats are very similar to us behavior wise. They’re surprisingly self-aware. They laugh when tickled, especially when they’re young, and they have ticklish spots. I read they know what good sex is, they know what bad sex is. (That has to be the funniest thing I've read in ages.) And when they have reason to anticipate great sex, they give you every indication they’re looking forward to it. They wiggle and paw at their ears, hop and dart, stop and flash a come-hither look backward.

Metacognition, a talent previously detected only in primates has been seen in rats. They recognise what they know and what they don't know and size up their odds. When presented with unfamiliar situations rats for the most part err on the side of causion.

Rats don't have a size. They grow according to the food supply. So in theroy they can get huge. The biggest I've heard of got to the size of a cat, and took down pigeons. I want to see a rat take down a pigeon.

Anywho...all that being said, we should respect our neighbor the rat. One day, who knows, they might figure out how to use the internet, start wearing pants, and take over the world. They already have Mumbai. -mel

Rats in India!!
Rats are people too