Rats didn't cause the Black Death, gerbils did

They're known for being cute pets, but gerbils may have a dark past

See also: 16 Ridiculously Photogenic Rodents

The seemingly innocuous furry friends could have been the real carriers of the Black Death from Asia to Europe in the 14th century, which went on to kill millions of people over four centuries.

A new study by researchers at Norway's University of Oslo clears the oft-accused black rat and shifts blame to gerbils from central Asia

It suggests that the Yersinia pestis bacteria, which causes the the bubonic plague, was continuously reimported into Europe instead of persisting in rodent reservoirs throughout the continent. Read more...

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