Rat (Books)

Rats are small mammals nominally mentioned in the How to Train Your Dragon Book series.

Description
Rats are small mammals belonging to the Genus Rattus. They have small "beady" black eyes set in a long whiskered muzzle and have round thin ears. Rats have an exceptionally long serpentine tail that has little hair on it, despite having a thick coat of black or brown fur on the rest of its body.

Rats are generally very opportunistic. They have a wide dietary range and have adapted well to live around people in a variety of habitats. The Black Rat (Rattus rattus) and the Norwegian Rat (Rattus norvegicus) occur worldwide mostly as an invasive species. Most other rat species are native to the tropical areas of Eastern Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Function
In the Book series, Rats are only mentioned as a descriptor for other beings.

In real life, rats are a staple food in many cultures around the world. They can also be pets, working animals, or laboratory animals. Rats are also known as pests to humans, as they can destroy food stores and crops, as well as carry zoonotic disease.

How to Be a Pirate
Toothless calls Alvin the Treacherous a rat, as HIccup, Fishlegs, and Alvin are trapped in the sinking ship, the Lucky Thirteen.

"He a r-r-rat. Toothless kill him, if you like"

- Toothless in Dragonese