Imperial paintings show earliest brown rat domestication
The early domestication of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) is still unclear. The imperial paintings, The Silk Scroll of Three Rats, depicted domesticated brown rats with coat color variation in China during 1425–1435 AD. It was more than two centuries older than the known record in Japan, presenting the earliest evidence of brown rat domestication.
Authors
- Wei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3351-5695)
- Ya‐Ping Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5401-1114)
- Min-Sheng Peng
Institutions
- Kunming Institute of Zoology (CN)
- Yunnan University (CN)
- Yunnan Agricultural University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Heritage Science
- Published
- 2025-04-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01672-4
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.72