The
black rat (
Rattus rattus, also known as the
ship rat,
roof rat,
house rat,
Alexandrine rat,
old English rat, and other names) is a common long-tailed
rodent of the genus
Rattus (rats) in the subfamily
Murinae (murine rodents). The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the
Near East in
Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with
Europeans across the world.