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  • You're probably familiar with rats because they live pretty much everywhere.

  • But here are five facts you didn't know about our furry, rodent friends.

  • Number one, New York City may have the biggest rat infestation in the world.

  • If you haven't seen the hilarious but horrifying videos of New York rats on YouTube,

  • you're gonna wanna check them out.

  • In one of them, a person is asleep on a subway bench while a rat climbs up his leg and onto his lap.

  • NYC has declared a war on rats, and budgeted more than half a million to an anti-rat program.

  • Number two, rats can swim up the pipes into your toilet bowl.

  • It's a rare occurrence, but a frightening reality in towns with older sewage systems.

  • Rats can get lost in the pipes and tread water for days, seeking a way out.

  • If you ever encounter one in your toilet, just know that it's very tired from swimming, and probably won't be aggressive.

  • But still, I mean, don't touch that.

  • Number three, there is a Rat Island off the coast of Alaska, and it used to be full of rats.

  • In 1780, a Japanese boat shipwrecked there and a few rats who were on board quickly overran the native species, including some endangered birds, like the bald eagle.

  • But in 2010, the US Fish and Wildlife Service eradicated the rats on Rat Island.

  • So now the name is just ironic, and very cool.

  • Number four, a rat's front teeth can grow five inches in a year.

  • That's why they're always gnawing on things, to grind them down.

  • The teeth can grow fast or slow, depending on the rat's diet.

  • And rats don't get cavities because they just get worn away as the teeth grow.

  • Number five, scientists say that rats can laugh and they can dream.

  • Dr. Jaak Panksepp from Washington State University says that rats emit a high frequency chirp when they play together, or when a hand tickles them.

  • And at MIT, scientists say that their lab rats were dreaming of running a maze.

  • They recognized the same brain wave activity in sleeping rats that occurred in wakeful rats that are running a maze.

  • Have you ever seen a rat in your toilet bowl?

  • Tell us your story in the comments.

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  • And if you're still craving knowledge of new stuff, head over to "Life Noggin",

  • a show that educates you on pop culture, science, art, and history.

  • New episodes every Monday.

You're probably familiar with rats because they live pretty much everywhere.

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