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Shorter winters and fewer freezes give rats more time to feed and breed.
rats

As Cities Get Warmer, Rat Populations Are on the Rise

New research shows that climate change is giving urban rats a boost, especially in Washington, D.C.
Matt Simon February 3, 2025
Talk is cheep.
nature

The Surprising Complexity of Prairie Dog Language

We learn how to listen closely to these critters—they're saying a lot more than you'd think.
Cara Giaimo May 17, 2024
In the American West, preventing wildfires is becoming all the more crucial. Meet one of the helpers.
nasa

Why NASA Is Watching Where Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers Landed

The mini-paratroopers have a new role to play today.
Danielle Hallock January 25, 2024
The ornate Guttmann Mouse Helmet, seen from the rear, includes depictions of what scholars believe are two mice and loaves of bread.
objects of intrigue

For Sale: A Mouse-Infested Roman Helmet That's Stumping Historians

Are the mysterious mice adorning this 1,800-year-old helmet part of an ancient joke?
Roxanne Hoorn January 31, 2024
universities

Podcast: Rites of Passage

Time to go back to school to appreciate some unusual campus traditions with the Altas Obscura Places Team.
The Podcast Team September 8, 2023
rats

Podcast: APOPO Rats

An episode that might have you rethink your stance on the humble rat.
The Podcast Team August 16, 2023
A naked mole rat in laboratory tunnel. The oldest recorded naked mole rat in captivity lived to 39 years old.
animals

The Secrets of the Longest-Living Mammals

Why do mole rats, Brandt's bats, and bowhead whales live so much longer than their relatives?
Roxanne Hoorn July 26, 2023
science

Meet Florida's Most Adorable Rodent and the Superfans Determined to Save It

Invasive predators and other threats have pushed the Key Largo woodrat to the brink. A small but passionate group of scientists and volunteers is pushing back.
Karuna Eberl August 5, 2022
An artist's rendering of one of the three new giant cloud rat species.
islands

Giant Cloud Rats Hint at a Prehistoric Biodiversity Paradise

Oversized, fluffy rodents in the Philippines may have been hunted by our evolutionary cousins. 
Gemma Tarlach April 27, 2021
In Southern New Jersey, a curious tradition faces an uncertain future.
rats

How South Jersey Keeps Muskrat on the Menu

An 80-year-old tradition brings a small town together to deep fry their mascot.
Luke Fater March 13, 2020
The mouse is only a few inches high.
Helsinki, Finland

‘Viisas Hiiri’ (‘Wise Mice’)

The tiny, studious rodents greet visitors to the National Archives of Finland.
Kaibab squirrel.
Arizona

Squirrels of the Kaibab Plateau

These elusive, isolated rodents evolved into a distinct, locally iconic subspecies.
The rat king.
Altenburg, Germany

Mauritianum

This natural history museum houses one of the world's largest rat kings, a terrifying jumble of tangled rodents.
They didn't take over the city by being foolhardy.
rats

City Cats Might Not Be the Rat-Control Option We Thought They Were

But they're still bad news for birds.
Matthew Taub September 27, 2018
Stewed gibnut with rice and cole slaw.
Gastro Obscura

Gibnut

A “royal rat” that's fit for a queen.
An agouti, perhaps trying to remember where it last placed its Brazil nuts.
trees

Brazil Nuts Are Brought to You by Rodents

The snack wouldn’t exist without the help of one furry critter and its unusually sharp teeth.
Abbey Perreault September 14, 2018
Gastro Obscura

Edible Dormouse

A beloved dish in ancient Rome, these rodents are now grilled or stewed in select Croatian and Slovenian restaurants.
Oh, hello!
Bhimashankar, India

India's Giant Technicolor Squirrels

These particularly resplendent rodents are the state animal of Maharashtra.