A black rat was found in Finland – a long time ago

Of Forest Zoology professor emeritus Heikki Henttonen knows rodents.

That’s why it was a big surprise when he got his hands on a strange creature found in Jyväskylä in the spring.

“The technicians of the pest control company Anticimex found an animal in their electric trap that looked different from other rats,” says Henttonen.

It was smaller than a normal rat, had a long tail, and the coloring was also different.

He examined it carefully, especially the skull and teeth.

Henttonen was sure that it was a black rat that had already disappeared from Finland.

He also asked the opinion of a southern European expert colleague.

A clear case, said a Slovenian colleague.

In the end, a dna test done at the University of Oulu confirmed the result.

“As far as I know, this is the first time in decades that a black rat has been found in Finland,” says Henttonen.

Black rat can be considered the original rat of Finland and the rest of Europe.

Despite its name, the coat color of the species varies, and the specimen that ended up in Henttosen was brown.

The black rat’s original home is probably in Southeast Asia on the Indian subcontinent.

From there it spread to the Mediterranean area, probably along the trade routes of the Roman Empire, says a study published in the journal Nature communications research. After the fall of Rome, the black rat also disappeared in parts of Europe.

In the Middle Ages the species spread again.

The history of rodents in Europe is dark from a human perspective.

Plague bacteria Disseminating fleas lived – and still live – in black rats.

Plague pandemics that killed an estimated third of Europe’s population in the 14th century and later made people wary of rats.

In the Middle Ages, the black rat had a challenger from East Asia. Originally, there was smallpox living in the region of Northern China and Mongolia spread To Europe by the end of the 16th century. In the end, the sport conquered almost the whole world.

Both rodents live on people’s sides, competing for the same food. At best, however, a half-kilo smallpox can nibble a smaller black rat with ease.

in Finland smallpox replaced the black rat for good at the beginning of the 20th century.

Individual sightings have indeed been made in the past, usually from ports. According to Henttonen laji.fi – some of the findings reported on the website are incorrect or incomplete.

He thinks that the last really certain observation was made decades ago.

How how did the black rat end up in Jyväskylä?

“The animal was found on the premises of a company importing goods from the Middle East,” says Henttonen.

The rat has probably slipped into the transport, a bit like its ancient fellows, who were carried along the trade routes to Europe.

Black rat will not conquer Finland again, Henttonen thinks. The winter nature is too harsh, and smallpox reigns in the city and in agriculture.