What is a rat king? Are you wondering what it could be? If so, this article is just for you! At the same time, we invite you to discover with us all there is to know about this phenomenon, and other interesting facts related to the subject.
Un roi des rats: How do you define this phenomenon?
Well, we're talking about a group of rats whose tails have become entwined and tied together. This phenomenon occurs when young rats, sleeping together, end up tangling their tails, thus creating an inextricable knot.
The tails thus bound become entangled with dirt or stuck together by various substances such as sap, sebum, blood, food, excrement or urine. When the rats wake up and try to separate, the knot tightens, trapping them together. Due to their inability to feed, the rats end up starving to death and all die.
Origin of this phenomenon
There is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon, but several hypotheses have been put forward to explain it. the narrowness of some nests could cause tails to become entangled.
It is also possible that this phenomenon was transmitted from word of mouth over the generations, prompting some to attempt to reproduce this unique phenomenon. Some of the reported rat kings were in fact intentionally created by individuals who tied the rodents' tails together. By the way, if you're concerned about the welfare of animals and want to consume products not tested on animals, check out our article on the list of vegan cosmetics brandsnot tested on animals.
The Discovery of the Altenburg Rat King
This discovery was made by Steinbrückwhen he had the walls of his fireplace demolished, revealing a mummified Rat King buried beneath the rubble.
- Although blackened by soot, the rats were hairless, but their claws remained sharp. Steinbrück generously donated this specimen to the Altenburg Nature Research Societywho put it on public display.
- In 1908, it is transferred to the new Mauritianum natural history museumwhere it is currently on display. It's made up of black rats, also known as house rats.
Theories on this phenomenon
There are a number of explanations for this "king of rats" phenomenon. According to some theories, black rats, known for their agile climbing skills, possessed a prehensile tail similar to that of monkeys. This characteristic is thought to be an instinctive gripping reflex when they come into contact with surfaces. By finding themselves in restricted spaceslike between the top boards of a structure, the rats' tails get tangled up as they continue to move and climb over each other. Over time, this knot solidifies irreversibly, fusing the tails together with a mixture of adhesive substances such as clay, hay and earth. This theory is supported by the fact that most rat kings are discovered in winteroften in confined spaces.
Other discoveries of this type of phenomenon
Other discoveries of this type have also been made:
- One of the most recent of these was found in New Zealand during the year 1930a rat king made up of eight black rats entangled in horsehair. It is currently on display at Otago Museum, Dunedin. He shows signs of broken vertebrae, suggesting their efforts to free themselves from this difficult situation.
- In 1963A farmer in the Netherlands also found a rat king consisting of seven rats, as reported by cryptozoologist M. Schneider. X-ray images, taken after the rats had died, revealed callus formations around the fractured tailssuggesting that they had survived during an extended period as king of the rats.
- In 2005An Estonian farmer also discovered a group of 16 rats. Although some had perished, several were still alive. Unfortunately, their condition prevented them from being released, so they were euthanized. Thirteen specimens were preserved and are now part of the collection of the Natural History Museum of the University of Tartu.
- More recently, in october 2021a new discovery was made in Estonia. This group included 13 live ratsbut they have also been compassionately euthanizedbecause their release was impossible.
Although some zoologists remain skeptical about the existence of natural rat kings, preferring to regard previous cases as hoaxes, undeniable evidence of squirrel kings has emerged, showing that this phenomenon exists in other rodents. Rat kings remain a reality, leaving open the possibility of this record being broken again.
Other interesting everyday phenomena are also worthy of admiration. For example, don't miss the secret meaning of mirror time 12h12.
