Biology Forums - Study Force

In numbers, rats are known man-eaters, and will ferociously attack an adult and reduce him/her to bone:
http://comeheretome.com/2013/04/11/the-soldier-who-was-eaten-alive-by-rats-in-christ-church-cathedral/

So why are rats such ferocious predators, even hungry for humans, despite their small size? All other animals of a rat's size are prey, not predators. I can only think of piranha as a comparison but they are fish not mammals, mice for example are fearful of humans.

Learn to make questions. You never proved that rat is a predator, so the whole question is completely wrong...

So, rather than asking "why are rats predators" you should ask "are rats predators?" so that you will get proper answers.

In addition, how do you take a doubtful story of a singe event as proof of the rats behavior? Not scientific at all.

Rats are omnivorous and will eat many things, even insects and smaller rodents... That doesn't make them 'ferocious' predators by any means.

I hardly think one legend of a man fighting off rats with a sword counts as evidence that rats are regular attack-and-kill predators. I have no doubts that rats will consume the flesh of a dead person, or even a person who is not yet dead but injured and largely immobile. That's scavenging, not predation. I highly doubt a group of rats would continue to attack a person who was chopping them to bits. Even if they're starving, I'd think they're more likely to attack and eat each other.

Frank_Baker is known for wacky stories ;)

I don't think rats are predators. I owned three pet rats for awhile and they were some of the sweetest pets I've ever had. I think rats, like any other animal, will turn on you if you're violent toward them. This doesn't mean they are predators though, it just means they are a living being. I think it's sad that you think rats are predators

How can you rationalize that?

Rats are no longer scared of humans and see them as food.

Rat runs up to bystander and tries to eat him:
http://doubtfulnews.com/2014/08/new-york-subway-rat-attacks-innocent-bystander/

That's true, they aren't afraid of humans and have adapted to city gutters, but that doesn't mean they see us as food. Rats possess animal instinct - they have a fight or flight response. Oftentimes they don't pick fights with animals larger than they.

Now imagine these rats were starving and some poor guy stepped near a large group of them.

Yes, they would attack because it affects their survival.

Can't the same argument be made about pigeons? They're found in nearly every major city on this planet. Clearly they're co-existing with various societies.

Rats eat everything because they are omnivorous, not predators.