"New York City is home to some three million rats, and learning how these rodent residents navigate and communicate is vital to understanding their impact on humans. A new preprint shows attempts to compare observations of brown rats in the city to the behaviors described in scientific literature more broadly. Studying rats in three locationscity parks, sidewalks, and the subwaythe team found that NYC rats are incredibly adaptable, changing their vocalizations based on different ambient backdrops."
"To understand these whiskered residents a little bit better, scientists from New York City (and also Germany) studied the behavior of the animals using an assortment of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence techniques (for capturing movement patterns), thermal imaging, and ultrasonic audio recordings. What Happens After Someone Dies of COVID-19 The goal was to understand the behavior of the New York City rat (Rattus norvegicus) in comparison to the characteristics of rats as reported in broad scientific literature."
New York City hosts about three million brown rats, roughly one-third of the human population. Observations across sidewalks, city parks, and the subway reveal high behavioral flexibility in Rattus norvegicus. Rats adjust ultrasonic vocalizations to ambient soundscapes, producing louder calls in the raucous subway environment. Movement patterns and thermal signatures were recorded alongside ultrasonic audio to capture communication and navigation strategies. Artificial intelligence techniques supported analysis of movement data. Comparisons to broader rat behavior show context-dependent communication and adaptability across urban microhabitats, with acoustic modulation likely aiding social interaction and environmental navigation in noisy city settings.
Read at www.popularmechanics.com
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