Researchers successfully taught rats how to drive small cars in the pursuit of Froot Loops cereal. Video below. Psychologist Kelly Lambert and her colleagues at the University of Richmond conducted the experiment to gain insight into animal cognition. Learning to drive also lowered the rats’ stress as measured by hormone levels.
rats
In 1508, Autun, France pressed…
In 1508, Autun, France pressed charges on rats for destroying barley crops. The lawyer representing the rats argued that the court’s summons wasn’t specific enough to his clients, and that Autun’s cat population made it unsafe for his clients to come to court. The rats were acquitted.
Rats are sometimes eaten in parts of France….
Rats are sometimes eaten in parts of France. In Bordeaux, there is a recipe that calls for the use of alcoholic rats who live in wine cellars. The rats are skinned and eviscerated, brushed with a thick sauce of olive oil and crushed shallots, and grilled over a fire of broken wine barrels.
Two rats in an ideal environment…
Two rats in an ideal environment can turn into 482 million rats over a period of three years.
Scientists conducted a study and determined that…
Scientists conducted a study and determined that there are about 2 million rats running around New York City. They can jump a horizontal distance of up to 4 feet, survive a fall from a height of almost 40 feet, and tread water for three days.
Giant Rats have been trained to sniff out 14000 landmines…
Giant rats have been trained to sniff out 14000 landmines and other unexploded arsenal. The rats, which undergo nine months of training, are light enough to not trigger the explosives. They literally work for peanuts.
In a 2011 experiment where rats were presented…
In a 2011 experiment where rats were presented with chocolate chips and a caged rat, test subjects would first free the caged rat, then share the food.
Poor neighborhoods in 60’s-era Washington DC suffered…
Poor neighborhoods in 60’s-era Washington DC suffered massive rat infestations until Julius Hobson began catching the “possum-sized” rats in a cage, strapping it to the roof of his car, driving them to the rich neighborhoods, and threatening to release them.
Only about 12 rats per year enter Alberta, Canada and are quickly…
Only about 12 rats per year enter Alberta, Canada and are quickly killed by provincial rat control specialists before they can breed. Alberta is the largest rat free populated area in the world.
Rats feel empathy to such a degree that they will ignore a lever…
Rats feel empathy to such a degree that they will ignore a lever that releases a tempting chocolate treat in favor of one that saves a drowning friend.