Why “Rats” is being discussed
The most recent Hacker News stories and comments contributing to this topic's mentions.
Yeah terriers are the way to go, my cats will only take on wayward juvenile rats, full size rats are more like potential cuddle warmth for the cats! I've witnessed rats stalk an…
by sellmesoap · Sep 26, 2026
Neither does Lord Howe Island, but continental Antarctica is probably the world's largest rat-free region. I'm sure many rats have made it ashore, and survived briefly, and some…
by nephihaha · Sep 26, 2026
There are always rats you just can't see them. Rats are intelligent creatures they know that humans go crazy.
by expedition32 · Sep 26, 2026
Rats are not native to North America.
by dlisboa · Sep 26, 2026
> Rats were, quite literally, semi-mythical things to me. Truly, a sentence I never thought I would read on the Internet!
by throwaway2037 · Sep 26, 2026
Having grown up in Alberta, somewhat close to the Saskatchewan border, I would say that it has been amazingly successful. I had never in my life seen a rat until I was an adult…
by goodcanadian · Sep 26, 2026
Interest
Proportion of Hacker News items mentioning "rats" over time.
Mentions
Total number of Hacker News items mentioning "rats" over time.
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, with the genus Rattus containing the most familiar rats. Other rat genera include Neotoma, Bandicota and Dipodomys. Among the best-known rats are the black rat and brown rat, both of which are native to Asia. Rats belong to the same subfamily as mice and are often distinguished based on their size. Usually the common name of a large muroid rodent will include the word "rat", while a smaller muroid's name will include "mouse". The common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Like mice, they are known to invade properties for food, water, warmth, and shelter. There are 56 known species of rats in the world. Read more on Wikipedia