Ca Rater Mallorquí
| Ca Rater Mallorquí | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other names | Ratonero Mallorquín | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distribution | Mallorca, Balearic Islands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Ca Rater Mallorquí or Spanish: Ratonero mallorquín is a Spanish breed of dog of ratter or warren hound type, found on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands.[1][2] It is recognised by the Govern Illes Balears[3]: 23307 and by the Spanish national government,[1]: 13433 but not by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.[4]
History
The origins of the Ca Rater Mallorquí are unclear, with no documentary evidence before the second half of the nineteenth century.[2]: 518 The dogs show considerable similarity to those of the Gos Rater Valencià breed of the autonomous community of Valencia, in mainland Spain. Valencian rice-farmers arrived in Mallorca in 1901 to work in the wetlands of the Albufera de Muro, and some sources cite this as a possible explanation for the similarity.[2]: 518 [5] It has also been suggested that there may have been some infusion of English terrier blood in the history of the breed.[2]: 518
A breed society – the Club Espanyol del Ca Rater Mallorquí – was established in 1990, and registrations were begun.[6] The Ca Rater was officially recognised by the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in 2002, with the establishment of a stud-book and the publication of the breed standard in the Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears, the government gazette of the islands.[3][6] In 2004 it received full national recognition when the breed standard was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado – the official journal of the government of Spain – and the breed society was authorised to maintain the stud-book.[1][6]
Characteristics
The Ca Rater is small: height at the withers does not reach 40 cm, and is usually in the range 29–33 cm for bitches and 32–36 cm for dogs; body weights vary from 3 to 4 kg and from 3.5 to 5 kg respectively.[2]: 519 [7] In dogs, the length of the body is roughly the same as the height at the withers, such that the outline of the body is square; bitches are somewhat longer in the body, but still close to square in outline.[2]: 519
The coat may be either black-and-tan or brown-and-tan, either with or without white markings; these may be so extensive that the coat is tri-coloured or is white with patches of colour.[8]
Use
The Ca Rater Mallorquí was formerly used to hunt and catch rats in the wetlands and lagoons of the island of Mallorca – the use for which it is named; this was a commercial activity, as rats were sold as food.[2]: 520 In the twenty-first century it is commonly used to hunt rabbit, particularly in areas covered by thick scrub or vegetation; it may also be used to retrieve small feathered game such as thrushes or doves.[2]: 520 [1]
It is a good watchdog and a good companion animal.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Miguel Arias Cañete (24 March 2004). 5652: Orden APA/807/2004, de 24 de marzo, por la que se actualiza el anexo del Real Decreto 558/2001, de 25 de mayo, por el que se regula el reconocimiento oficial de las organizaciones o asociaciones de criadores de perros de raza pura. (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado. 77 (30 March 2004): 13430–13435. Reference: BOE-A-2004-5652. European Legislation Identifier: permalink.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 9788449109461.
- ^ a b Mateu Morro i Marcé (18 December 2002). Núm. 26150: Ordre del Conseller d'Agricultura i Pesca, de 18 de desembre de 2002, per la qual es crea el Llibre genealògic del Ca rater mallorquí i se'n regula el funcionament (in Catalan). Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears. 156 (28 December 2002): 23306–23308.
- ^ FCI breeds nomenclature: C. Thuin, Belgium: Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed August 2025.
- ^ Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Orígens (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b c Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Dades generals (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 31 March 2024.
- ^ a b Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Caràcters generals (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 31 March 2024.
- ^ Races autòctones de les Illes Balears: Ca rater mallorquí: Característiques més destacades (in Catalan). Govern Illes Balears. Archived 31 March 2024.