What is the scientific name for the rat?

What is the scientific name for the rat?

• A. Rattus norvegicus
• B. Mus musculus
• C. Meriones unguiculatus
• D. Cavia porcellus

Answer: (A)

In biological naming, the two-part Latin name identifies the exact species, using a capitalized genus and a lowercase species epithet, usually written in italics. For common laboratory rats, the genus is Rattus and the species most often used is norvegicus, giving the scientific name Rattus norvegicus. This is the brown rat, the species frequently employed in biomedical research. The other options correspond to different animals: Mus musculus is the house mouse, Meriones unguiculatus is the Mongolian gerbil, and Cavia porcellus is the guinea pig. So the name that specifically matches the rat is Rattus norvegicus.

In biological naming, the two-part Latin name identifies the exact species, using a capitalized genus and a lowercase species epithet, usually written in italics. For common laboratory rats, the genus is Rattus and the species most often used is norvegicus, giving the scientific name Rattus norvegicus. This is the brown rat, the species frequently employed in biomedical research.

The other options correspond to different animals: Mus musculus is the house mouse, Meriones unguiculatus is the Mongolian gerbil, and Cavia porcellus is the guinea pig. So the name that specifically matches the rat is Rattus norvegicus.