Meet the black rat that conquered the world: The tiny stowaway that spread plague, famine, and chaos across continents and changed human history |
Rats are the tiny, scuttling creatures everywhere, it seems. Humans have lived alongside them for thousands of years, though most of the time we barely notice them until they bite, gnaw, or bring disease. The black rat, or Rattus rattus, is a particularly clever little animal. Experts say it has managed to hitch rides on…