Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Published October 17, 2018 17:01 EDT (Brief from the Royal Society)
Rats are one of the most successful and prolific pests in human society, yet rat behaviour in cities remains poorly understood. Analysis of diets of 19th-century rats from Toronto show that rats in cities have significantly different isotopic signatures than those that live in rural areas. The main reason is better access to meat. The results shed new light on how commensal animals may have become adapted to sharing urban environments with human hosts.
Lead author: Eric Guiry, University of British Columbia and Trent University – eguiry@lakeheadu.ca
