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Laboratory Rats
Laboratory rats or lab rats are strain (biology), strains of the rat subspecies ''Rattus norvegicus domestica'' (Domestic Norwegian rat) which are bred and kept for scientific research. While Animal testing on rodents, less commonly used for research than laboratory mice, rats have served as an important animal model for research in psychology and biomedical science, and "lab rat" is commonly used as an idiom for a test subject. Origins of rat breeding In 18th-century Europe, wild brown rats (''Rattus norvegicus'') ran rampant and this infestation fueled the industry of rat-catching. Rat-catchers would not only make money by trapping the rodents, but also by selling them rat meat, for food or, more commonly, for rat-baiting. Rat-baiting was a popular sport, which involved filling a pit with rats and timing how long it took for a terrier to kill them all. Over time, breeding the rats for these contests may have produced color variations, notably the albino rat, albino and hoode ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albino Rat
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of the terms mean that written reports of albinistic animals can be difficult to verify. Albinism can reduce the survivability of an animal; for example, it has been suggested that albino alligators have an average survival span of only 24 hours due to the lack of protection from UV radiation and their lack of camouflage to avoid predators. It is a common misconception that all albino animals have characteristic pink or red eyes (resulting from the lack of pigment in the Iris (anatomy), iris allowing the blood vessels of the retina to be visible); this is not the case for some forms of albinism. Familiar albino animals include in-bred strains of laboratory animals (rats, mice and rabbits), but populations of naturally occurring albino animals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
