Giant Rat Found Inside Of A Foot Locker In The Bronx (with photo)

[flamingdem]

http://gothamist.com/2012/01/06/giant_rat.php



Yesterday someone Tweeted this photo of a giant monster rat, supposedly discovered at a Foot Locker in the Bronx. You might recognize this guy, as he bears a striking resemblance to the 3-foot-long beast that was stabbed with a pitchfork in Brooklyn last year. That one was believed to be a Gambian pouched rat, and may have been someone's escaped pet. However, it wasn't the first one spotted in that area, and locals believed they were multiplying faster than Gremlins taking a bath.

With this spotting in the Bronx, we think it's safe to say this superbreed of mutant rat is priming for a takeover of the five boroughs (everyone grab some Mountain Dew). Was there anything in that Mayan prophecy about rodents?

[Renew Deal]

1. Reminds me of this

[flamingdem]

12. They have nice shiney coats

At least the rats appear to be healthy!

NY seems to have been taken over by rats, more than ever!

(Besides Bloomberg that is)

[Renew Deal]

13. I see them on the subway tracks all the time.

I saw one recently on a step in the subway. He wasn't moving so I dont know what his story was.

One time I was eating at a fast food place. There were one or two small mice running around near a garbage can. No one complained. I enjoyed my Roy Rodgers fried chicken.

[flamingdem]

30. Haven't they gotten worse in the last decade?

I don't remember the rats being so out of control before. Seems like it's due to all the construction. At least one of the old time authentic aspects of NY hangs on in spite of the republican clean up mayors.

[Renew Deal]

32. I'm not sure either way

I've heard all kinds of rat stories, but I don't know if it's worse.

[smirkymonkey]

79. I used to see them only occassionally - later at night.

Now I see them more frequently, scurriing around on trash night right after work. They're disgusting!

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Rodents of unusual size?

Only seen 'em in the fire swamp.

[DJ13]

3. and GOP debates

[Edweird]

7. I don't believe they exist....

[kentuck]

4. He swapped bodies with Willard...

That was really the rat at tonight's debate...

[msanthrope]

5. We're gonna need a bigger cat.

(Full disclosure. I wrote that on the other Gambian pouched rat thread on DU2. But it seemed good enough to use again.)

[Aerows]

10. LOL

I think you'd need something along the size of a Serval or a Caracal to deal with those things! I suppose a Bobcat could handle it, too

[TheWraith]

46. Maine Coon.

Per the literature, a healthy adult male Maine Coon should weigh in the range of 18 to 25 pounds.

They're also awesomely cuddly.

[mrs_p]

48. they are the best

but mine is down to only about 8 pounds these days from about 18 in his prime. kidney failure. i'm having a hard time letting go.

[TheWraith]

49. I'm sorry to hear that.

I just adopted a kitty who's at least mostly Maine Coon about 6 months ago, a rescue that a friend found in a park, the last survivor of his litter. He's amazing, and has introduced me to the world of Maine Coons.

[mrs_p]

51. enjoy! we've had two MC rescues as well.

the snuggling is the best!

[Odin2005]

55. My mom has a coon cat and she is HUGE!!!

And cute as hell!

[Maine-ah]

63. meh, they come in all sorts of sizes and weights.

I have two

I have one that is about 12-14 lbs and the other one, (brothers) is probably 15-16lbs.

[Renew Deal]

14. I know someone that worked at a restaurant in Manhattan in the early 80's.

He kept a cat in the restaurant to deal with the mice.

[flamingdem]

27. That is pretty funny

.. to those of us who like rat humor (Ex New Yorkers who have seen the city "improve" but the rats worsen!)

[flamingdem]

29. heh!

Where's the pink panther when you need him?

[Edweird]

6. The bigger they are, the easier they are to kill.

[Renew Deal]

15. I'm not so sure about that.

You can't carry a gun in NYC

[Edweird]

40. Whether it's allowed or not, shooting at a rodent with a firearm in an urban area

is a recipe for disaster. Use a crowbar, baseball bat, sharp stick, whatever. Go to Chinatown and pick up a functional sword or spear (not a 'ceremonial' kind made of metal that won't hold an edge). My point is that a larger, slower, less agile rodent is easier to kill by hand. There's no way that big bastard is running behind the couch or getting in your cabinets.

[Brother Buzz]

44. That's why the gun god invented .22 cal rat shot

Now, for that beast, I might suggest 9mm rat shot.

[TheWraith]

47. Or at that size, a .410 bore with bird shot.

For those who don't know: "rat shot" is a term for very small (size 12, which is 1.3mm or 0.05&quot lead shot, usually fired out of a handgun cartridge. It's designed for taking out small pests like rats, snakes, and other small pests, and is particularly well suited for enclosed spaces where the ricochet of a "real" shotgun cartridge could be dangerous.

This is an example of a capsule containing rat shot loaded in a .22 Long Rifle cartridge, the smallest in common use. The whole cartridge is about an inch in length.

[Renew Deal]

57. You learn something new ever day.

I've never seen that before.

[Fumesucker]

58. Blow Gun..

Way more powerful and more accurate than you would expect and nearly silent too.. I've put a steel needle through 3/4" plywood easily, the plastic cup stays in the plywood, the needle keeps on going..

[TheWraith]

60. Good luck hitting a running rat with one of those.

Half the point of rat shot is that it comes out as an expanding cloud, and strikes an area anywhere from 6 inches to a foot across, so you don't need to be a marksman.

[Fumesucker]

64. Wasn't the OP about rats in NYC?

Firearms are all but completely banned there.

[MicaelS]

72. Blow Guns are banned in NYC

The real question is "What isn't banned in NYC that is a weapon?"

[left is right]

45. I have a better solution

Move to a new apartment without creepy creatures

[Renew Deal]

56. I was just kidding

But your solutions are good too.

[limpyhobbler]

8. NYC needs Giuliani back, he'll take care of these rats.

ha ha why doesn't the city have a plan to kill the giant rats!







:justkidding: :justkidding: :justkidding:
just kidding I;'m not for Giuliani, i know he's rpublican.
Just funny cause he can kill the rats hahaha

[Renew Deal]

16. You have been reported to the MIRT

Please leave your keys in the Lounge. There is nowhere to hide! Bwahahahahhahaha

[flamingdem]

28. I learned the rat problem is caused by all the construction

as in ... the go go nineties caused an upswing in building and homes for rats.

When many were left abandoned partially constructed ... it made the rat problem worse

[jmowreader]

42. Giuliani would just name it police commissioner

I think we can all agree the biggest rat to ever infest the sewers of New York was Bernie Kerik.

[alcibiades_mystery]

53. Giuliani only killed the rats in Midtown

and the Upper West Side.

It's not clear that he even knew the Bronx existed.

[JHB]

73. Actually, it sounds like perfect work for him...

...it takes a rat to catch a rat.

As long as he has to be personally involved in the "Dirty Jobs" end of it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Well on a serious note, if the Mayans are right

you could make a decent stew out of that... and yes in some areas of the world rat is eaten.

[flamingdem]

31. I just posted a recipe

but it disappeared! There are many on the google

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. On a steeeeek.

To quote the Jeff Dunham character.

[madokie]

52. I'm sure I eat rat when I was in Vietnam

once boiled for hours it matters not much what it is cept'n of course its meat

[Mojorabbit]

11. Poor guy

Yet another non native species is introduced here by the pet trade

[pinboy3niner]

62. Yeah, poor guy. But don't worry...

...they say that once you get used to it, having to wear that doofy shirt doesn't seem quite so terrible.

[handmade34]

17. from Oregon to LA

Nutria (rodents) are causing problems in the wetlands...

&feature=player_detailpage

[flamingdem]

25. Is Nutria the same as the pouch rat?

Are these just garden variety water rats? They get huge.

[handmade34]

34. not the same, but ratlike rodents

and they are huge! just thought the comparison was interesting after I got to see some of the nurtrias in action when I was in the South and West

[hatrack]

75. Boy, you can really see the resemblance to the capybara in the face and snout

nt

[KamaAina]

77. Nutria are good for nothing AND they have ORANGE teeth

that's right, orange.



Actually, on second thought, they are good for something after all:



That's Boudreaux D. Nutria, mascot of the Pacific Coast League (AAA) New Orleans Zephyrs.

[jwirr]

74. Or what we call muskrats?

[mrs_p]

50. my friend was the first to document them in WA state

no one believed him, but he knew what he saw

[Quantess]

65. Never let your dog get near a nutria.

My dog thought it was a riot to chase after a nutria, but the nutria bit him hard on his neck and my poor dog lost a lot of blood.

[alphafemale]

18. Forced Perspective. That's NOT a giant rat.

It's on a hoe blade. It's just being held up to the camera. It's NOT 3 ft long.. Get over it.

[Renew Deal]

20. Are you the person in the striped shirt?

I think they are measuring to the end of the tail.

[flamingdem]

24. Really? It looks pretty close to that

I'll have to check the genus, there is probably a wiki page!

[jmowreader]

43. That's not a hoe. It's a floor scraper.

Floor scrapers are about a foot wide, and they're used for things like pulling up linoleum.

[Mojambo]

19. This looks like a job for...

[flamingdem]

23. Who is that?

I'm not up on this particular pop icon.

[Mojambo]

26. Charlie Kelly

Character on FX's sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

And he is holding his brand new Rat Stick that he uses to bash rats.

[Scurrilous]

61. My fave show.

I think he got that stick for his birthday and was moved to (near) tears.

[jpak]

21. That's Rick Santorum taking a nap

Rat...sheesh

[flamingdem]

22. It just needs a sweater vest

and a dose of Christian right wing psychosis and .. dead ringer.

[Quantess]

35. here's rat santoum crocheted

gotta love google image search!

[flamingdem]

39. A Rick Rat!!

What a find, this is hugh!

[Quantess]

59. Rat Santorum has a big flabby potbelly, just like Rick.

[aikoaiko]

36. That's not so big.

They are bigger on the Jersey side.

[Brigid]

37. I just showed this pic to my black cat Brigid.

(My other one, Patrick the Screwy Orange Cat, is asleep right now). Brigid just looked at me as if to say, "If one of those things shows up around here, you're on your own."

[ohheckyeah]

38. I was expecting a photo of

Bloomberg.

[Brother Buzz]

41. So that's were Mickey Rat ended up after his ill fated road trip

[shanti]

68. hee

[Brother Buzz]

69. The only joint in town that carried size 22 N sneakers

[flamingdem]

76. .. and this is how they treat their customers?

I guess it bothered them he asked for a special order.

[Brother Buzz]

78. That's the problem, he refused to special order his pair

He knew there is exactly one pair of sneakers sized 22n in every contained delivered from china, and he wanted to be absolutely first in line. He decided to camp out and wait. You know what they say about guests and fish?

[marmar]

54. Goodness.....That thing could try on some shoes.

nt

[Rex]

66. Can I get fries with that?

[pinboy3niner]

67. There's just no pleasing some people. It's already Supersized, fer crissakes!

[uncle ray]

70. i'm not seeing a giant rat.

all i see is a normal sized rat being held close to the camera with a floor scraper, making it appear giant.

[Evasporque]

71. shovel held at arms length....please....not even a shovel a six inch scraper...

lol

[Initech]

80. What was Newt Gingrich doing at an NYC Foot Locker?