Facts about rats
What are they?
Rat taking chick from nest.
There are three types of rat in New Zealand. The Pacific rat or kiore (Rattus exulans), the Norway or brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the ship or common rat (Rattus rattus).
The Norway rat is the largest of the two European rats. It is distinguished from the ship rat in that the tail, which is about 180mm in length, is thick and shorter than the body, which is about 200mm in length, and that the ear of this rat does not reach the eye when pressed forward. By contrast the ship rat, which is more common, has a tail larger than its body, and ears that cover the eyes when pressed forward. Both of the European species are associated with human activity and are found in houses, tips, waterways and cropland.
Kiore are now found only in Fiordland, Stewart Island and some off-shore islands. They were introduced to New Zealand by Maori settlers and have cultural and spiritual values to some Maori.