What's happening?

First, there was only one rat on the island. Then, there were two. Then three. Today, dozens of rats swarmA large group of people or animals moving together. across the island. They scurry across the land, eating the eggs and chicks of the seabirds that call the island home. 

The UK's seabirds are under threat from a rat invasion. Now, officials say they are launching a plan to tackle the problem, including a sniffer dog and an information campaign. 

But others say that rats are not all bad. They have many amazing abilities, such as swimming, squeezing into tiny spaces and remembering places they have been before. They were even worshipped by the Ancient EgyptiansA group of people who lived in northeast Africa as long ago as 3100BC. . 

And some scientists even found that rats can do better than people in tasks that test how well you can learn. 

Find out more

Are rats smarter than people?

Yes! They have many amazing abilities and have spread across the whole world. They are probably one of the most successful speciesA set of animals or plants with similar features. Members of the same species can breed with each other. of all time. 

No! Rats may be clever, but they are not as smart as humans. They have not built cities or made incredible scientific discoveries.