Increasing rat numbers in cities are linked to climate warming, urbanization, and human population.

For reasons related to the biology of Rattus species, we hypothesized that most cities are experiencing an increasing trend in rat numbers and that rats are increasing fastest in larger cities with (i) more dense human populations, (ii) warmer winter temperatures, (iii) steeper temperature increases over time, (iv) less vegetation and greater urbanization, and (v) lower gross domestic product (GDP), as a proxy of socioeconomic resources available to implement rat control efforts.

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