You must have heard a lot about big rats in the world, but have you heard about a rat which is as tall as a cat? Yes, the Gambian pouch rat species is the “world’s largest rat”. It seems surprising, but there are many people in the world who are fond of keeping such rats. Often kept as pets, these giant animals are shocking, lovable, and a little serious in equal measure. Basically these rats are trained to sniff out landmines.
But they are a terror in Florida, America. Due to the fear of their population increasing, they are being destroyed. The giant rat, “which is about the size of a small domestic cat,” poses an “ecological threat” to its new home in the Florida Keys, according to the Texas Invasive Species Institute website.
The Gambian rat is distinguished from other rodents by its ability to store grains and food in cheek pouches. This leads to over-consumption of food at one time and increases the possibility of damage to crops.
These rats are trained to sniff out landmines in Africa. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)
So far they are only known to breed on one particular island, Grassy Key, but they have the scope to travel along the bridges of the Keys and they feed extensively on vegetables, insects, crabs, snails, palm kernels and palm fruits. But are known to eat with appetite.
According to the Texas Institute, all of the population on ‘Grassie Key’ stems from eight Gambian rats that were accidentally released by a foreign animal breeder. According to the institute’s report, efforts are being made to eradicate the population as they cross major bridges and head towards mainland Florida.
According to the Kruger National Park, rats in some parts of Africa have been trained to smell landmines. They are easier to train and cheaper to keep than dogs. The park also said that in areas where there is an abundance of garbage, reports claim that a species of giant rats has been known to eat human infants.
Tags: Amazing news, Bizarre news, OMG News, Weird news
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 6, 2024, 15:44 IST