Remember about two years ago, when a “rat hole” from a sidewalk in Chicago became a tourist attraction? It went viral after a comedian posted a photo of it, and it was a media sensation for a couple days.
Well, you might not know this, but that slab was removed, and they laid down some fresh cement. And the “rodent-shaped imprint” was sent off to a lab, where it’s apparently been studied for MONTHS. (???)
Here’s what they found:
1. Even though the hole LOOKS rat-shaped, it probably wasn’t. That isn’t really surprising. When it was going viral, a lot of people said it was probably caused by a squirrel that had fallen from a nearby tree into the wet cement.
Researchers from the University of Tennessee, the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the University of Calgary just published a paper this week . . .
They concluded that the “long forelimbs, third digits, and hind paws” were too large for a rat, but would align with muskrats, fox squirrels, and the most probable suspect: The Eastern gray squirrel, which is abundant in that area of Chicago.
2. It wasn’t new. Most people also knew this at the time. It was apparently several decades old, and just became a “thing” after it went viral on Twitter.
So there you have it: Researchers from three universities have solved this mystery, which wasn’t really THAT much of a mystery to begin with. (Now, back to studying cancer!)
The slab is now being stored in Chicago’s City Hall, although they’re trying to figure out a more permanent home. (Like, a sidewalk?! Just put it back. I mean, it’s not like it needs to be in a museum or something.)
Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole pic.twitter.com/g4P44nvJ1f
— Gatorade Should Be Thicker. (@WinslowDumaine) January 6, 2024
(Science.org / Wikipedia)
