For the comic book villan called Vermin, go to Vermin (comics).

Vermin is a pejorative word given to animals which are considered by users of the word to be pests or nuisances, most associated with the carrying of disease. Disease-carrying rodents and insects are the usual case but the term is also applied to larger animals, on the basis that they exist out of balance with a desired environment, consuming excessive resources. Pigeons, which have been widely introduced in urban environments, may be considered vermin, or, pejoratively, "flying rats."

The term is also used as an extremely pejorative characterization of a particular class or group of people as inferior and subhuman, and often considered social parasites. Application of the term can be wide, having been applied over the centuries in different languages, to various groups, and its use is usually based on a perception that the target group's views are "disease-like," or that such groups exist out of sociological balance with the common society.

Spelling distinction

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"Varmint" is an American colloquialism which describes farm pests which raid farms as opposed to infest farms: mainly predators such as foxes and coyotes, sometimes even wolves; but also (to a lesser degree) herbivores and burrowing animals which directly damage crops and land. While this is not a very important term in general semantics, it takes on special significance when discussing weapons such as in the case of the term "varmint guns".

Deterioration of balance

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Introduced species can develop into vermin in the regions where they were introduced if they find favourable living conditions, and if they face few or no natural enemies there. In such cases, humans often choose to fill the role of the predator to limit the danger to the environment. A prime example of vermin is goats on the Galápagos Islands. Rats are common urban and suburban vermin.

Animals | Ecology | Hunting

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