Tracer Rat
Basic Information
Anatomy
A subspecies of black rat corrupted by magic. They look very similar to the main species, Rattus rattus, however have a crucial few differences that set them apart. The most prominent of these is that Tracer Rats have anywhere from four to eight eyes, symmetrical and flowing neatly with their dominant pair. All of their eyes are smaller than those found in other rats, in an enlarged single eye socket. Tracer rats also have much longer whiskers than the black rat.
Genetics and Reproduction
The reproduction of tracer rats is identical to their parent species, the black rat, however they can no longer cross breed with other species such as the Brown or Norwegian rat. All attempts to do so result in stillbirth, if a pregnancy even manages to implant. They can still reproduce with Black Rats, however these hybrid litters tend to be smaller, weaker, and much more prone to having health issues and deformities.
Ecology and Habitats
Tracer rats can be found globally, easily able to establish themselves in any environment, city, or home once they get a foothold. In many areas they are regarded as a pest and are freely killed without limits by hunters, pest control, and homeowners. Particularly in areas without a native rat population, such as the Shanin Islands, the rats are seen as a threat to the local ecosystem and nests are destroyed as soon as possible.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The diet of a Tracer Rat is incredibly similar to that of the black rat, although they do favor foods of magical origin or laced with magic when available. Some tracer rats can be known for being addicted to magic, and refuse all other foods, even to their detriment.
Additional Information
Domestication
Tracer Rats are thought to have been domesticated during the The War of Black Ash era, due to their intelligence, reliability, ease of care, and abilities in seeking out magic. Domesticated tracers are easy to spot as they are generally larger and more well fed than their wild cousins and display a much more even temperament than wild ones, and often will have colors and patterns recognizable from the pet trade. Domesticated tracers can live more than twice as long as their wild counterparts, and strides made to better regulation in breeding and keeping has increased the average lifespan of a pet Tracer Rat to 6 years at maximum, triple that of the longest lived wild Tracer Rats.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Tracer Rats are a keystone species in the study of magical corruption, along with all the benefits of studying rats for medical use found in other species. Sterile albino Tracer Rats are frequently used for medical trials in the first stages of developing medicines that are magical in nature.
Due to not having any sort of hunting regulation in much of the world and hunting them being actively encouraged in some places, there is a bit of a culture around the Tracer Rat being treated incredibly unfairly in some regions, where destroying them by any means necessary is the norm, with little regard for a quick, painless death.
Despite this, the Tracer Rat has many uses and those kept domestically are treated well and even prized. Tracer rats can see essences and auras, and are often used in search and rescue after storms and earthquakes alongside search dogs to find buried victims. They are also used in seeking out corruptive magic for destruction, with competitions regularly held in New York for tracers to find baits laced with magic and return them into specially constructed trap bins.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Global
Average Intelligence
Like all rats, tracers are keenly intelligent and are a stellar example of learning behaviors in mammals.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Tracer rats possess an incredible ability in being able to seek out sources of magic, aided by at least one pair of their eyes having the sole purpose of seeing magic, such as essences and auras. They also have the ability to smell different forms of magic and consume it with little ill effect from a single feeding, although over time, can be corrupted by highly derived forms of magic.
Scientific Name
Rattus rattus
Lifespan
1 to 2 years (wild) 2 to 6 years (domestic)
Conservation Status
Least Concern, Invasive (Shanai)
Average Length
5 to 7 inches
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Black, light brown, husky, champagne, white, or cream with white, cream, or light grey underbellies. Tracer Rats always have a bluish gray tail and ears, aside from albino or melanistic individuals.
Geographic Distribution
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