black rat

American  

noun

1. an Old World rat, Rattus rattus, now common in the southern U.S., having a black or brown body with grayish or white underparts.

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black rat British  

noun

1. a common rat, Rattus rattus : a household pest that has spread from its native Asia to all countries

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Etymology

Origin of black rat

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

According to the RSPCA, there are only two species of rats living in the UK - brown rats and black rats.

From BBC

Department of Agriculture has added black rats to the growing list of mammals that have been infected by H5N1 bird flu.

From Los Angeles Times

Outbreaks there are associated with agriculture, deforestation, the black rat -- and fleas.

From Science Daily

Soon after their arrival, the bones suggest, brown rats began to rapidly outcompete black rats in coastal cities, eventually eating their smaller relatives out of house and home.

From Science Magazine

One probable reason they dominated, researchers suggest, is that they ate food black rats would otherwise have consumed – which may have reduced reproduction among black rats.

From Seattle Times