A rat can go longer than a camel without having a drink of water.

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Rats succumb to peer-pressure, just like humans. Brown rats are prone to disregard personal experiences in order to copy the behavior of their peers. The urge to conform is so strong that they will even choose to eat unpalatable food if they are in the company of other rats who are eating it.

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Rats have really good memories. They can remember a human face and recognize people they have seen before. If you have a rat as a pet, it can learn its name and respond when you call it. Rats also don’t get lost because they are so good at remembering their way around.

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When happy, rats have been observed to chatter or grind their teeth. This is often accompanied by vibrating eyes. WEIRD!!

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Rats are responsible for spreading bubonic plague, also known as the "Black Death". Although fleas are primarily responsible for infecting humans, they were originally infected with the plague by feeding on the blood of the rat they lived on.

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An adult rat can squeeze into your home through a hole as small as the size of a two pence piece.

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Rats have strong teeth that allow them to chew through glass, cinderblock, wire, aluminium and lead.

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Rats have been into outer space. France flew their first rat (Hector) into space on 22 February 1961. Two more rats were flown in October 1962.

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Rats can swim in water for up to three days without drowning! They like to swim and are very good at it. A rat can survive being flushed down the toilet and might even get back into the same building by swimming back in the same way! 

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Giant African rats are trained to detect deadly landmines. They're larger than pet rats but small enough that they don't set off the landmines while searching for them.

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Rats are stupendous nappers and they spend about 76 percent of daylight hours sleeping.