We have an update to those rumors about the presence of Rodents of Unusual Size in New York City. One of these rats was just speared by Housing Authority employee Jose Rivera at the Marcy Houses project in the fire swamp Bed-Stuy. It appeared to be well-fed and measured almost three feet long from nose to the tip of its evil, evil tail.
Animal experts who viewed the picture [below] identified the animal as a Gambian pouched rat, which is a fairly common pet rat. They’re nocturnal, can grow to three feet and four pounds or more, and live seven or eight years. Imports have been banned since 2003, when they were blamed for a monkeypox outbreak that sickened 100 people in the United States. [NYDailyNews via TheDailyWhat]
On the upside, Gambian pouch rats are mostly blind and can be trained to sniff out landmines (AKA “HeroRATS“) and diagnose tuberculosis by smell, so they aren’t pure evil (they just look it). Also, the Gambian pouched rat is a different genus than the Norway rat species in New York City, so at least the two can’t interbreed to create a horde of huge, filthy sewer rats.
We have a couple pictures of this, both after the jump since there’s a dead animal in them and some people have a problem with dead animal pictures even when the animal is a creepy, enormous cave rat holy crap kill it with fire.
That’s a pitchfork, not mutant, bony wings. We hope.
Also, this: