Rats are often viewed as simple scavengers, but the reality is that these common rodents are highly capable predators. The answer to whether rats hunt is a definitive yes, especially when their diet requires protein that cannot be easily foraged. This predatory behavior showcases a more complex and opportunistic survival strategy than is typically attributed to them.
Understanding Rat Diet
Rats are classified as opportunistic omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter based on available food sources. While much of their caloric intake comes from grains, fruits, and discarded human food, the need for high-quality protein is constant. This need is particularly pronounced in wild populations, pregnant females, and growing young.
The distinction between scavenging and active predation is important in understanding their behavior. Scavenging involves consuming food that is already dead, such as carrion or refuse. Active predation, however, involves the deliberate pursuit, capture, and killing of live prey to secure necessary nutrients. When protein-rich scavenged meals are scarce, rats transition from foraging to hunting.
Common Prey and Hunting Targets
The list of animals rats actively hunt is extensive, demonstrating their adaptability across different habitats. Invertebrates form a regular part of their predatory diet, including insects like beetles, caterpillars, and orthopterans such as crickets and weta. They also target slower-moving prey like snails, securing an easy source of protein and calcium.
Rats pose a serious threat to vulnerable nesting animals, preying on the eggs and nestlings of ground-nesting birds and reptiles. Their ability to climb makes them effective predators of tree-dwelling bird clutches, which has led to the decline of native bird populations on islands globally. This behavior is primarily focused on obtaining concentrated protein sources that cannot defend themselves.
Rats aggressively pursue and kill small vertebrates, including smaller rodents such as mice—a specific predatory behavior known as muricide. Other mammalian targets include shrews, and they may take young or injured rabbits and poultry. Certain species, like the brown rat, are semi-aquatic and hunt small fish, eels, and crabs.
Behavioral Strategies for Predation
When hunting live prey, rats employ sensory skills and a distinct, stereotyped killing behavior. They rely on keen senses of smell and hearing to locate and track prey, especially in low-light conditions, as most hunting occurs at night. The pursuit of smaller, faster prey, like mice, often begins with a chase before the rat delivers a decisive strike.
Once the rat has cornered or caught its prey, the killing method is remarkably consistent, particularly with small vertebrates. The rat uses its sharp incisors to bite the head, neck, or upper back of the target animal. Studies on muricide show that the fatal bite is frequently aimed at the spinal cord, with the neck being the most common target area for immediate incapacitation.
Rats are solitary hunters, relying on stealth and surprise rather than cooperative tactics. The speed of the attack is crucial; the entire predatory sequence—from capture to kill—lasts only a few seconds for small prey. This swift and precise killing technique minimizes the risk of injury and ensures the rapid acquisition of the protein meal.