rat

(vertebrate zoology) The name applied to over 650 species of mammals in several families of the order Rodentia; they differ from mice in being larger and in having teeth modified for gnawing.

The name for over 650 species of mammals in a number of different families of the order Rodentia. These animals are of great economic importance to humans. In addition to harboring many diseases transmissible to humans, such as bubonic plague, endemic typhus, rat-bite fever, and infectious jaundice, ingested rats can transmit trichinosis to swine. See also Plague.

Rats are usually active at night, feeding on nearly every type of food. The teeth are modified for gnawing, with sharp and chisellike incisors that grow continually and have heavily enameled fronts. There is a large space between the one pair of incisors and the molars into which the flesh of the cheeks is drawn during gnawing. This prevents the cheek teeth from meeting and wearing down and also prevents the swallowing of dirt and debris. See also Rodentia.

(Remote Administration Trojan) A Trojan in a user's machine that is interactively controlled by the attacker. The attacker remotely configures and controls the Trojan in the infected machine just like a user with a Web browser requests data from a server. Back Orifice is an example of a RAT. See Trojan.

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