South Carolina mammals

Black Rat in South Carolina

Rattus rattus

Introduced to South Carolina

South Carolina's Rattus rattus records are of an introduced species; it does not occur here as a wild native population.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Live black rat climbing through branchesBlack rat moving through leaf litter and low vegetationLive black rat on open ground with long tail visibleLong-tailed black rat standing on a railingLive black rat in a tree near a building
Photo: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0Live black rat climbing through branchesPhoto: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0Black rat moving through leaf litter and low vegetationPhoto: Davidvraju · CC0Live black rat on open ground with long tail visiblePhoto: Alex O'Neal · CC BY-SA 2.0Long-tailed black rat standing on a railingPhoto: Sean Vanderluit · CC BY 4.0Live black rat in a tree near a building

Black Rat in South Carolina, by the numbers

Occasional in South Carolina 39th most recorded of 108 mammals logged in South Carolina

27 occurrence records
26 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 8, 2026 Last seen in South Carolina

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Black Rat in South Carolina

Most sightings fall in January.

27 South Carolina occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly South Carolina records (table)
MonthRecords
January6
February2
March1
April0
May3
June6
July2
August1
September2
October1
November3
December0

Monthly black rat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in South Carolina, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in South Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in January, with a smaller rise in June.

Occurrence map

Where Black Rat has been recorded in South Carolina

27 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

27 South Carolina records mapped

Where it's recorded in South Carolina

CountyRecords
Charleston County 10
Beaufort County 4
Horry County 4
Lexington County 2
Newberry County 1
Georgetown County 1
Richland County 1
Dorchester County 1
Berkeley County 1
Other localities 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 9 South Carolina counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Black rats recorded in South Carolina’s coastal refuges are an introduced species historically spread by ships along the Atlantic seaboard, though the record here defaults them to native status since no NatureServe rank is on file. The record leans heavily on iNaturalist (26 of 27 records), suggesting casual sightings, not survey data, document most of what’s known about this species in the state.

January and June are tied for the year’s peak, 6 sightings each, with April showing zero records, a scattered pattern too thin to point to a single clear seasonal driver but consistent with a species whose visibility tracks structure-adjacent activity year-round.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Live black rat climbing through branches
Full species profile Black Rat Rattus rattus Size 16–24 cm6.3–9.4 in Weight 75–230 g2.6–8.1 oz Lifespan 4 yr View the full profile

More mammals in South Carolina in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries