Although none of them are native to the Americas, a few species, notably the house mouse and black rat, have been introduced worldwide.

Though the lifespans of most genera are generally less than two years, murids have high reproductive potential and their populations tend to increase rapidly and then drastically decline when food resources have been exhausted.

A number of species, especially the gerbils, are adapted to desert conditions and can survive for a long time with minimal water.

They consume a wide range of foods depending on the species, with the aid of powerful jaw muscles and gnawing incisors that grow throughout life.

They typically give birth between twenty and forty days after mating, although this varies greatly between species.

They probably evolved from hamster-like animals in tropical Asia some time in the early Miocene, and have only subsequently produced species capable of surviving in cooler climates.

They have become especially common worldwide during the current geological epoch, as a result of hitching a ride commensally with human migrations.

In the Pied Piper of Hamelin, retold in many versions since the 14th century, including one by the Brothers Grimm, a rat-catcher lures the town's rats into the river, but the mayor refuses to pay him.