Main Difference
The main difference between Mouse and Rat is that the Mouse is a vernacular name for species from the family Muridae and Rat is a genus of mammals.
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Mouse
A mouse, plural mice, is a small rodent characteristically having a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are locally common. They are known to invade homes for food and shelter.
Species of mice are mostly found in Rodentia, and are present throughout the order. Typical mice are found in the genus Mus.
Mice are typically distinguished from rats by their size. Generally, when someone discovers a smaller muroid rodent, its common name includes the term mouse, while if it is larger, the name includes the term rat. Common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Scientifically, the term mouse is not confined to members of Mus for example, the deer mouse.
Domestic mice sold as pets often differ substantially in size from the common house mouse. This is attributable both to breeding and to different conditions in the wild. The most well known strain, the white lab mouse, has more uniform traits that are appropriate to its use in research.
Cats, wild dogs, foxes, birds of prey, snakes and even certain kinds of arthropods have been known to prey heavily upon mice. Nevertheless, because of its remarkable adaptability to almost any environment, the mouse is one of the most successful mammalian genera living on Earth today.
Mice, in certain contexts, can be considered vermin which are a major source of crop damage, causing structural damage and spreading diseases through their parasites and feces. In North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse excrement has been linked to hantavirus, which may lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
Primarily nocturnal animals, mice compensate for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of hearing, and rely especially on their sense of smell to locate food and avoid predators.Mice build long intricate burrows in the wild. These typically have long entrances and are equipped with escape tunnels or routes. In at least one species, the architectural design of a burrow is a genetic trait.
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Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea.
“True rats” are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Many members of other rodent genera and families are also referred to as rats, and share many characteristics with true rats.
Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size. Generally, when someone discovers a large muroid rodent, its common name includes the term rat, while if it is smaller, the name includes the term mouse. The muroid family is broad and complex, and the common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Scientifically, the terms are not confined to members of the Rattus and Mus genera, for example, the pack rat and cotton mouse.
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Mouse (noun)
Any small rodent of the genus Mus.
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Mouse (noun)
A member of the many small rodent and marsupial species resembling such a rodent.
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Mouse (noun)
A quiet or shy person.
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Mouse (noun)
(plural mice or, rarely, mouses) An input device that is moved over a pad or other flat surface to produce a corresponding movement of a pointer on a graphical display.
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Mouse (noun)
Hematoma.
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Mouse (noun)
A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straightening out.
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Mouse (noun)
A familiar term of endearment.
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Mouse (noun)
A match used in firing guns or blasting.
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Mouse (noun)
A small model of (a fragment of) Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with desirable properties (depending on the context).
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Mouse (noun)
A small cushion for a woman’s hair.
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Mouse (verb)
To move cautiously or furtively, in the manner of a mouse (the rodent) (frequently used in the phrasal verb to mouse around).
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Mouse (verb)
To hunt or catch mice (the rodents), usually of cats.
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Mouse (verb)
To close the mouth of a hook by a careful binding of marline or wire.
“Captain Higgins moused the hook with a bit of marline to prevent the block beckets from falling out under slack.”
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Mouse (verb)
To navigate by means of a computer mouse.
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Mouse (verb)
To tear, as a cat devours a mouse.
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Rat (noun)
A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.
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Rat (noun)
A term indiscriminately applied to numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
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Rat (noun)
A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel; a quisling.
“What a rat, leaving us stranded here!”
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Rat (noun)
An informant or snitch.
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Rat (noun)
A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.
“Our teenager has become a mall rat.”
“He loved hockey and was a devoted rink rat.”
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Rat (noun)
Scab.
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Rat (noun)
Vagina.
“Get your rat out.”
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Rat (noun)
A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.
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Rat (noun)
A scratch or a score.
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Rat (noun)
A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart in stormy weather.
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Rat (verb)
To betray someone and tell their secret to an authority or an enemy; to turn someone in, bewray.
“He ratted on his coworker.”
“He is going to rat us out!”
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Rat (verb)
To kill rats.
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Rat (verb)
To scratch or score.
“ux|en|He ratted a vertical line on his face with a pocket knife.”
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Rat (verb)
To tear, rip, rend.
“Ratted to shreds.”
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Mouse (noun)
a small rodent that typically has a pointed snout, relatively large ears and eyes, and a long tail.
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Mouse (noun)
(in general use) any small mammal similar to a mouse, such as a shrew or vole.
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Mouse (noun)
a shy, timid, and quiet person
“Jane may be a bit of a mouse, but she is very nosy”
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Mouse (noun)
a dull light brown colour reminiscent of a mouse’s fur
“her flaxen hair dulled to mouse”
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Mouse (noun)
a small handheld device which is moved across a mat or flat surface to move the cursor on a computer screen
“the right mouse button”
“copy the file with a click of the mouse”
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Mouse (noun)
a lump or bruise on or near the eye
“she touched the mouse under her eye”
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Mouse (verb)
(of a cat or owl) hunt for or catch mice
“female cats are usually much better at mousing than males”
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Mouse (verb)
prowl about as if searching
“he was mousing among the books of the old library”
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Mouse (verb)
use a mouse to move or position a cursor on a computer screen
“simply mouse over any item on the list”
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Rat (noun)
a rodent that resembles a large mouse, typically having a pointed snout and a long tail. Some kinds have become cosmopolitan and are sometimes responsible for transmitting diseases.
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Rat (noun)
a despicable person, especially a man who has been deceitful or disloyal
“her rat of a husband cheated on her”
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Rat (noun)
an informer
“he became the most famous rat in mob history”
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Rat (noun)
a person who is associated with or frequents a specified place
“LA mall rats”
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Rat (noun)
a pad used to give shape and fullness to a woman’s hair.
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Rat (interjection)
used to express mild annoyance or irritation.
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Rat (verb)
hunt or kill rats
“ratting is second nature to a Jack Russell”
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Rat (verb)
desert one’s party, side, or cause
“many of the clans rallied to his support, others ratted and joined the King’s forces”
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Rat (verb)
shape (hair) with a rat.