Rats have learned to drive small cars and have developed a love for speed.

Neurobiologist Kelly Lambert from the University of Richmond shared that during experiments on training rats to drive, she and her colleagues learned a lot about the preferences of their subjects.

Lambert and her team have been training laboratory rats to drive for many years to investigate the relationship between the animals' environment, stress, and the development of cognitive abilities and new skills.

The neurobiologist reported that during the pandemic in 2020 and the subsequent lockdown, the driving rats appeared to experience emotional isolation. That summer, the researcher entered the lab and noticed something unusual.

“Three trained driving rats eagerly approached the edge of the cage, jumping like my dog does when asked if she wants to go for a walk,” Lambert explained.

The researchers found that the rats had a strong motivation to learn driving, often jumping into the vehicle and pressing the gas pedal even before their transport hit the road.

When the rats were given the choice between a shorter route to a treat (the reward for their training) and a longer one, two-thirds of the rodents chose the longer option. This indicates that the joy of driving was as rewarding to them as the treat itself.