According to Wikipedia, the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is thought to have originated in China, but "has now spread to all continents except Antarctica and is the dominant rat in Europe and North America". It's also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat (hence the Latin name), or wharf rat. The black rat (Rattus rattus) is smaller than the brown and is thought to have been present in Europe and the Levant since prehistoric times. It's also known as the ship rat, roof rat or house rat.
Rattus Norvegicus was the title of the Stranglers' first album. Released on 15 April 1977, it reached No. 4 in the UK charts and was one of the most successful albums of the punk era. In 2014, NME listed it at No. 196 in its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Two tracks were released as singles: (Get a) Grip (on Yourself) and Peaches. The latter was a double 'A' side with Go Buddy Go, which was not on the album; it reached No. 8 in the UK charts.
© Haydn Thompson 2018