While black rats are from India, the Brown rats are the natives of Siberia and China. However, they have managed to set their foot globally and spread in the entire world now. Except for Antarctica, now, they are found everywhere!
While rats are on the list of small rodents, we often think all rodents are small. Also, there are a lot of animals, rodents or not, that look like rats but are not rats. As the beavers, capybaras, muskrats, etc. are in the index.
So, we have planned to talk about an “animal that looks like rat but bigger.” Skim through our list, you will enjoy knowing how many bigger rats are there in this world!
List of Large Rat-Like Animals
Have you ever thought of the first rodent- what was the first rodent we know? A naked mole rat is included in the new record of the oldest living rodent. So, you can see, regardless of their size, rats survived!
Well, large animals like dinosaurs are extinct but rodents, these small animals have lived alongside the dinosaurs for 100 million years. The plus is, they have outlived these large carnivorous animals by another 30 million years.
That’s stupendous but whenever we talk about rodents, we think they are small. In reality, that’s not the case. Yes, there are larger rodents too!
And today, we will run through the rat-like animals that have got the privilege of size.
1. Capybara
- Scientific Name: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
- Type of Animal: Mammal
As rats are rodents, let’s start with another rodent- the capybara, a large south American rodent. Well, compared to the size of the rats, the capybaras are enormous.
To be clearer, they are the largest rodents in the world. This species lives in Panama, Venezuela, and Colombia. Also, you can find them in Brazil. Peru. Paraguay, and Uruguay. Some of them also prefer the weather of Northeast Argentina.
They are semi-aquatic and have reddish-brown coats. Their long body and short legs make them the largest ones in their family. Capbybara’s long head and small ears make them look like rats, but bigger!
The weight of this species can give you an idea of how large they are. While rats weigh about 140-500 gm (brown rats) depending on their age, a capybara weighs 140 pounds!
2. Hutia
- Scientific Name: Capromyidae
- Type of Animal: Mammal
Another mammal that looks similar to the rats but is bigger is Hutia. They also belong to the rodent family like the rats and capybaras. This species is larger than the rats and smaller than the capybaras.
They are among the South American large rodents. However, their range is not so large- they only live in the Bahamas. If you do research on the largest rodent in the Caribbean, the name Hutia will be first on the list.
The length of their body is about 2 feet which makes them a lot larger than the rats. Besides, their tail is unique, it is almost as lengthy as their body. The four of these animals can range from black to brown.
While most rodents are herbivores, brown rats are practically omnivores. But Hutia on the other hand follows the rule of the family- they are herbivores. Unlike rats, they can swim and climb trees if they need to!
3. Guinea Pig
- Scientific Name: Cavia porcellus
- Type of Animal: Mammal
Enough of the world’s largest rodents, let’s go back to a little smaller size. A very common rodent in the South American subcontinent is a Guinea pig- another rat-like rodent. They are larger than the rats, that’s why they are in the list!
Though they are the natives of South America, you can find them as pets in homes all around the world. Their size can grow up to 12 inches and their weight stays more or less 3 pounds when they are adults.
Rats are social if they are introduced and the same goes for the guinea pigs. This playful and active rodent has a squeaky voice and short coarse fur.
The color of the coat can be brown, white, or black. Their ears are short, small, and rounded. Their diet consists of herbivorous food like hay, veggies, grass, etc.
4. Giant Hutia
- Scientific Name: Heptaxodontidae
- Type of Animal: Mammal
After Hutia, next in line is the Giant Hutia which is another mammal on our list. Whenever the name of the large rodents comes in, the name Giant Hutia is always there. After all, that’s why they are called giants, right?
But with a sad heart, we must tell you that this species is extinct now. Their range was in the Quaternary cave deposits. They were found on the island of Hispaniola and in the family Capromyidae, they were the largest member.
Their length was about 3 feet and they used to weigh 100 pounds or so. Their fur was unique reddish-brown to grey but their belly was white. Like the rats, they too were omnivores.
5. Marmot
- Scientific Name: Marmota
- Type of Animal: Mammal
Another mammal that almost looks similar to the rats is a marmot. These are the natives of North America and Europe. They are quite larger than the rats and prefer living in burrows.
The nature of the rats and marmot have similarities just like their face. Both of these animals love to live in groups. However, they are herbivores and their diet consists of different plants.
They are like large ground squirrels. They can be 15.5 pounds or close when you compare them with brown rats.
6. Muskrat
- Scientific Name: Ondatra zibethicus
- Type of Animal: Mammal
You can already see, Muskrats are called rats for a reason, right? Yes, rats or brown rats and muskrats are lookalikes. They are the natives of North America and they stay active at night.
The fun part is, they are good climbers just like the squirrels. So, if you see a rat-like animal climbing the trees, remember, it can be a muskrat too! They are amazing swimmers too. And the best part is, they can stay underwater for a long time.
Just like the rats, muskrats too prefer burrows for living. Their diet includes plants, leaves, roots, aquatic plants, stems, etc. Besides, they can eat frogs, crayfish, small fish, etc. This species is known for its fur, it’s thick and also waterproof.
7. North American Beaver
- Scientific Name: Castor canadensis
- Type of Animal: Mammal
Another native among North American species is the North American Beaver. Well, they are the largest rodent in North America.
They might look like rats but they are quite larger than them. They have a large body with 60 pounds weight. These semi-aquatic animals love to live near rivers and streams.
For living, they prefer lodges and dams. The head of this species is large but its eyes are small. Their coats along with their furry tail can be brown, pale brown, black, or reddish.
Wrap Up
Now you know that there are a lot of other animals that look like rats and mice but are larger when it comes to size. But this isn’t the end, the list goes on. You can count the jerboa, short-tailed opossum, nutria, degu, paca, and hundreds of more species.
We have only included the most commonly known animals here. In the future, we will also cover the other species in the list.
