Polynesian rats ate their way through the South Pacific. They were a popular food item because they could fit in canoes and breed rapidly, but that came at the cost of many islands' terrestrial birds' and reptiles' eggs, and many palm tree species' seeds, notably Easter Island's native palm, which was vital to the survival of the Rapa Nui, the local brand of Polynesian human. The rats devoured the palm seeds while the Rapa Nui used the trunks for construction. Not being able to breed is a pretty quick ticket to extinctionville. No palm meant no canoes, which meant no fish, which meant very limited food. The rats were just abundant enough to destroy all the native flora, but catching feral rats is much harder than harvesting farmed rats, and all the farmed rats had been eaten by the rapidly growing human population. Easter Island's history is a sad tale of rampant starvation, cannibalism, and ecological collapse, and the Polynesian rat's appetite is responsible for a big chunk of that. Across the South Pacific, there are many similar cases, and Polynesian rats feature prominently in most of them. Alolan raticate is a funny pokemon version of the unchecked, all-consuming hunger of the Polynesian rat. It's a nice reference. Plus, look at its cheeks. That's cute as shit.
That's why I like Alolan raticate.
