(#2) The Name Comes From A Myth
The very idea of the Rat King (or King Rat) comes from the myth that out of all the rats in a pile of rats, there's one wise rat who sits on the rest of the rats and rides on top like some kind of rodent Rick Ross. Nothing sounds more mythological than a rat that rides other rats, but it's also kind of silly. It's surprising that 16th-century villagers didn't laugh whoever came up with the idea out of Europe.
(#21) There's A Squirrel King
Just when you thought that you'd never run afoul of a group of rodents stuck together, hungrily rampaging through the city, a squirrel king appeared in Regina, Saskatchewan, and had to be separated by a team of veterinarians. The squirrels were stuck together with pine sap, but luckily no one's tail had to be amputated.
(#14) Seattle Might Be The Next Rat King Capital Of The World
It turns out that Seattle might be the destination spot for those of you looking for a nest of intertwined rats. In a report from The Seattle Times, there have been 28,600 rat sightings in homes as of 2013. Is Seattle made of cheese? Or does the Pacific Northwest contain the perfect confluence of chilly weather and underground tunnels where rodents can survive?
(#15) You're As Likely To Find A Rat King As You Are A Bigfoot
Because rat kings are so rare (and probably fake), they've entered into the realm of cryptozoology. What does that mean for your hopes of seeing a rat king clawing its way through your town? Well, you might as well start trying to find a chupacabra and the Mothman while you're trolling for a sentient pile of rats. Even with their folkloric status, rat kings are more likely to pop up than your run-of-the-mill Yeti. But if you hear of a rat king eating a wedge of cheese and watching teenagers make out, be wary of your source.
(#10) Rat Kings May Have Died Out With Black Rats
One of the biggest possibilities for the non-existence of rat kings is the rats that were running around in the Middle Ages and getting all stuck together were black rats, which had a longer tail than modern brown rats and ended up displacing the black rats, thus putting an end to the Black Plague and the constant rat kings that were apparently all over 16th-century Germany.
(#16) Rat King Art Is Happening In A Big Way
Rat Kings have so pervaded modern culture that even contemporary artists like Katharina Fritsch are putting them in their work. Does this mean that rat kings are the new mustaches? (Spoiler alert: yes.)
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About This Tool
The rat king is a phenomenon in which the tails of multiple mice are entwined. The cause of this phenomenon may be blood, dirt, feces, or simple knotting. When the tails are entwined, these mice will grow together. But the rat king phenomenon is rare in real life, and this phenomenon is often reminiscent of plagues or fatal epidemics. Most of the phenomena were found in German, and some rat kings are displayed in the museums of Hamburg, Hamelin, Göttingen, and Stuttgart.
So far, there has been no scientific explanation for the cause of the rat king phenomenon. You could know more information about this weird natural phenomenon in this random tool, there are 21 gross but fascinating facts about rat kings.
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