Rats are on the move—and it’s not just their survival instincts driving them. Climate change and rapid urban growth are supercharging their numbers in cities around the world.
As temperatures rise, rats are getting the perfect conditions to thrive year-round with huge implications says a new paper published in the journal Science.
Warmer winters mean they don’t have to stay sheltered as long and increased warmth boosts their survival and reproduction rates.
In places like New York, rat sightings in winter months have surged over the last five years. But it’s not just about warmer weather.
Urbanisation is making cities a perfect home for rats.
Less greenery and more concrete mean rats can burrow into manmade spaces like construction sites, alleyways and restaurant waste. Cities with less vegetation and more urban sprawl have seen dramatic increases in rat numbers.
As vegetation disappears and heat builds up, rats benefit from more places to hide and more food to scavenge.
Add a booming human population into the mix and it’s a recipe for rats to run riot.
More people mean more waste and more infrastructure for rats to exploit. In fact, higher human density is linked to bigger rat populations. As urban areas grow, so does the available food and shelter for these resilient rodents.
With global temperatures continuing to rise and cities expanding, the rat problem is only going to get worse.
Don’t squeal now…rats are rising! appeared first on Energy Live News.