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Many laboratory animals, including mice and rats, are chronically stressed which can also negatively affect research outcomes and the ability to accurately extrapolate findings to humans. [32] [33] Researchers have also noted that many studies involving mice, rats and other rodents are poorly designed, leading to questionable findings.
The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
The common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Typical mice are classified in the genus Mus, but the term mouse is not confined to members of Mus and can also apply to species from other genera such as the deer mouse . Domestic mice sold as pets often differ substantially in size from the common house mouse. This is attributable ...
Mice are good jumpers, climbers, and swimmers, and are generally considered to be thigmotactic, i.e. usually attempt to maintain contact with vertical surfaces. [citation needed] Mice are mostly crepuscular or nocturnal; they are averse to bright lights. The average sleep time of a captive house mouse is reported to be 12.5 hours per day.
Rats are typically distinguished from mice by 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. There are 56 known species of rats in the world. [1]
The specific voluntary crowding of rats to which the term "behavioral sink" refers is thought to have resulted from the earlier involuntary crowding: individual rats became so used to the proximity of others while eating that they began to associate feeding with the company of other rats. Calhoun eventually found a way to prevent this by ...
Rats are opportunistic eaters; in the wild, rats are herbivores, as they will scavenge for seeds, plants and fruits. Due to a lack of easily accessible produce in the city, city rats will eat nearly anything, including trash and meat. Domestic rats live slightly longer than wild rats, with life spans of around two years. [16]
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species.Members of this subfamily are called murines.In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.