The early domestication of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) is still unclear. The imperial paintings, The Silk Scroll of Three Rats, depicted domesticated brown rats with coat color variation in China during 1425–1435 AD. It was more than two centuries older than the known record in Japan, presenting the earliest evidence of brown rat domestication.
- Min-Sheng Peng
- Wei Chen
- Ya-Ping Zhang
