Who would imagine that a simple rat would have the courage to leap into the great unknown? This rat did exactly that, jumping two stories to the ground below rather than get caught. Doing what exactly? We’ll never know.
The video shows someone opening a drawer, possibly on a mission to find the rat. The animal scurries out from underneath the dresser and goes right to the balcony’s edge. Without even hesitating, it jumps off into the air.
The footage follows the rat’s rapid descent. An audible smack sounds when the rat hits the pavement, two stories below. Does that stop the rodent? Not even for a second! The rat continues to run away and disappears into the trees and bushes on the other side of the road.
Is This Typical Rat Behavior?
While jumping two stories is unusual, rats are known for scurrying, hiding, and trying to get away from other animals. There are four main species of rats that mostly live in urban and suburban areas. These include the Norway rat, the roof rat, the woodrat, and the marsh rice rat.
The rat in the video moves too fast to identify reliably, but it is possible that it is a roof rat. Roof rats like warm climates, and the video shows the rat running off into tropical foliage. It could also be a marsh rice rat. Marsh rice rats are dark brown and have brown tails, just like the rat in the video.
Rats can cause major problems because they can carry diseases such as Salmonella, Lyme disease, or toxoplasmosis. Historians believe that rats were largely responsible for the spread of many diseases when they stowed away on ships that crossed the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.
Some people keep rats and other rodents as pets. It’s important to note that these rats are cared for, cleaned, and treated as pets. With the right care, a rat can be a healthy member of the family just like any other pet.
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