Non-rodent animals used in research have been increasing.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Data unclear

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is understanding trends in species used for research. Rodents, especially mice and rats, dominate biomedical research because they are inexpensive, breed quickly, and have extensive genetic tools. Non-rodent species (like rabbits, dogs, cats, and nonhuman primates) have always been a much smaller portion of total animals used, and they don’t show a steady, overall increase over time in the major reporting data. Because the overall growth in research animals is driven largely by rodents, the claim that non-rodent usage has been increasing isn’t supported by the typical trend seen in regulatory and census data. So, the statement is false.