How much do you know about mice
Rats? Who doesn't know them! Yes, nowadays it's hard to see tigers unless you go to a zoo, but rats are hard to avoid. But do you know which ones are the real "rats," how to recognize them? How much harm have they caused, how many people have they killed? What are their benefits, how much have they contributed to humanity? How to prevent and control their harm, how to utilize their benefits, and why should some rat species be legally protected?
In ancient China, small animals that mainly live in burrows were often referred to with the Chinese character "鼠" (rat) or characters with "鼠" as a radical, such as house rat, field rat, pygmy mouse, mole, and flying squirrel, etc. However, according to modern zoological classification, in addition to these characters referring specifically to rats, the names actually include small and medium-sized mammals from five orders: Rodentia (rodents), Soricomorpha (shrews), Scandentia (tree shrews), Carnivora (carnivores, specifically the Mustelidae family), and Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares). The true "rat" should be limited to the Rodentia order; in practical fields such as plant protection and epidemic prevention, the Lagomorpha order's "rat-like" Leporidae family animals are also commonly included. Since the Lagomorpha and Rodentia orders have a close evolutionary relationship, share common morphological and structural characteristics, they are grouped together as the "Glires" in the animal classification system, and in China, they are commonly referred to as "rodents."
Modern zoological classification defines rodents (Glires) as a group of terrestrial, burrowing, arboreal, or semi-aquatic, placental mammals with well-developed incisors that are chisel-shaped, lack roots, and can grow throughout life, lack canines, have a diastema (a gap between the incisors and cheek teeth), and have a bicornuate uterus. Thus, the common names "rat" and "rodent" in Chinese have both overlap and intersection in their actual connotations. The former refers to the "rat-like" small and medium-sized species of the Rodentia order plus the Leporidae family of the Lagomorpha order; some large species of the Rodentia order—beavers, porcupines, and marmots—are not named after "rats" and are usually not considered rats. The latter refers generally to these two orders. In Chinese, characters named "Mouse" or with "Mouse" as a radical, many species are not rodents. For example, moles and shrews (Eulipotyphla) and other shrews closely resemble rodents, but they are animals closely related to hedgehogs (Eri–naceomorpha) of the Soricomorpha order (formerly, both were included in the Insectivora order); weasels such as the yellow weasel (ferret), the white weasel (stoat), and the Siberian weasel (ermine) resemble rats, are good at digging, often come out to hunt at night, and are easily mistaken for "big rats" and killed, but they are all Carnivora order Mustelidae animals, excellent rat catchers; tree shrews, which also have "鼠" as a radical in their name, belong to the Scandentia order; kangaroos and wallabies in Australia, and opossums in South America, are marsupials (Didelphimorphia) and are more primitive than rodents. In other words, these animals are not true rats!
In summary, it is clear that the concepts of "rat" ("mouse") and "rodent" are not entirely equal. Using "rat" to refer to the entire group of rodents is neither accurate nor complete. However, since rodents are indeed their most significant component, and this colloquial term is more easily understood and accepted by non-professionals, it is customary to use "rat" as a near-synonym or synonym for "rodent," and "harmful rats," "rat control" usually includes leporids. In addition, during the investigation of epidemic areas, since Soricomorpha animals (such as shrews, etc.) are often captured and they are actually involved in the spread of diseases, they are commonly referred to as "rodent-like animals" and are listed together as monitoring and control targets.
Rodents are found all over the world (except Antarctica). According to Wilson et al.'s "World Mammal Species" (3rd edition, 2005), there are currently 2369 species of rodents in the world (including 92 species from 13 genera in 3 families of the order Actinopterygii and 2277 species from 481 genera in 33 families of the order Rodentia), accounting for 43.74% of the total number of existing mammal species (5416 species). Among all orders of Mammalia, rodents (Rodentia plus Lagomorpha) have the largest number of species, genera and individuals, and are the most widely distributed (mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, forests, grasslands, deserts, etc., all have their traces). They also have the strongest fertility and adaptability, which can be said to be the most successful type of evolution in mammals. In China, according to Ma Yong et al. (2012), there are currently 2 families, 2 genera, and 32+3 species of rabbit shaped animals? Species, rodents, 10 families, 79 genera, 193+19? There are a total of 12 families, 81 genera, and 225+22 species in both orders? Species (+3? And+19? Are the number of suspected items to be investigated). If counted according to the term 'rat' in this question, it only refers to rodents and does not include beavers, porcupines, and marmots, which belong to 4 genera and are 7+1? Species, plus 1 genus and 23+2 members of the family Muridae in the order Actinopterygii? There are currently about 200 species of mice in China.
From the perspective of biological evolution history, rodents emerged before primates. Throughout human evolution, rodents have always accompanied left and right, coexisting in symbiosis. So, their close relationship with all aspects of human production and life is innate, and we must conduct scientific and comprehensive research and understanding of them.