Brown Rat

	Brown Rat
	Cat Given Name:	Rat
	Common Name(s):	Brown Rat
	Other Name(s):
	Scientific Name(s):	Rattus norvegicus
	Physical Description:	The Brown Rat is a long faced rodent with short legs and a lean body. The tails and feet of the rat are hairless. Their paws are nimble and they possess a keen agility and bright intelligence. The great majority of wild brown rats are an agouti brown ranging from pale to dark, though in areas where they have interbred with their domestic counterparts patch-coated rats and an amazing array of other variations occur.
	Physical Statistics:	Length: 6 - 10 Inches (15 - 26 Centimeters) Plus tail of equal length Weight: 4 - 18 Ounces (140 - 500 Grams) Larger rats can be found near reliable & rich food sources
	Behavior:	They are most active at dawn and dusk, preferring the cover of the dark to add to their security. They will scavenge, but are also able to hunt and kill small creature in addition to more traditional fruit-and-nut types of foraging.
	Social Organization:	Rats live in gender mixed social groups. These groups, while not entirely cooperative, do provide the opportunity for lookouts and other security measures.
	Danger Level:	Medium (Kits, Apprentices & Elders are Vulnerable); While not particularly large they possess sharp, piercing teeth that easily infect wounds and are known to attack in groups.
	Approval Level*:	None; Rats are common in places where humans leave food or garbage about.
*Some creatures require approval to appear in RP. This is to make sure the Admins and Mods who need to know are fully aware of a beast currently active in their area. These ratings are mainly for those creatures that cats cannot simply drive off.

Brown Rat (As Prey)
Kill Difficulty:	Moderate; Sharp teeth and a fighting spirit make a rat a difficult kill, particularly due to the chances of it having friends nearby to come to its aid.
Hunting Difficulty:	Advanced; While not a creature that goes to great lengths to hide itself, they do post sentries and keep an eye open for danger. A certain mastery of hunting skills is required to manage the quick kills needed to avoid drawing out a rat's companions.
Food Quality:	Medium; Rats are of variable quality, with some being extremely succulent and others being tough and stringy. They are in general a valuable prey source, but the chance of catching a low quality individual always effects the overall value of the species.