Adult : Brown, with whitish brown underparts, 18-20cms, with a 15-18cms tail.

Prolific breeders with about 60-70 young in a year.

It is larger and more robust-looking than its common cousin the House Rat, and the tail is shorter. An excellent swimmer, it is found in sewers and drains in large cities, where it thrives in the damp, wet surroundings. It is usually limited to seaports and large cities because of the Indian Mole-Rat and Bandicoot-Rat, which are the large, dominant species in the country.