Professor Rat

Who would have thought that the animal we squeal when spotted would be smart and intelligent? Rats are one of the most studied and experimented animals on the planet. They have been research and test subjects for numerous famous and influential physiological studies. The reason for this is that a rat’s psychology is similar to humans and they are great for comparison.

All rats learn new behaviors and tricks very easily. Studies have found that rats possess metacognition, which has previously only been documented in humans and some primates. Metacognition refers to "higher order thinking that involves active control over the thinking processes involved in learning" (Wikipedia). For examples, activities such as planning how to approach a given learning task and evaluating progress towards the completion of a task are of a metacognitive nature.


Rats have an amazing sense of smell and hearing. They have been trained to detect land mines and bombs. Recent research and technology has suggested that rats can even smell and identify human sputum samples infected with tuberculosis. These animals are incredible at solving mazes. Rats are social creatures and display signs of remorse, excitement, loss, and stress. They also dream in a very similar way as humans.


Next time you call again for pest control, rethink about what animal you are actually dealing with because they may not be pests after all.


- Carolina