Natural Wonder: The Rat King

Imagine a large ball of screeching rats rolling toward you. They are covered in their own excrement. They likely have the plague or some other terrible disease. Now, would you take this as a bad sign? These balls of tangled rats are called rat kings, and they have been taken as a sign of misfortune and bad omens since the dark ages. And why not? Most people would urinate in their pants if they were faced with one of these monstrous things. Rat kings are the stuff of nightmares. But what exactly is a rat king? Such a thing could not possibly exist, could it? I hate to burst your bubble, but they can and they have before.

A rat king occurs when rats are living for an extended period of time in cramped conditions. What happens is they have no where to drop their excrement except where they already are and they do so. The excrement collects and builds up. I do not know if any of you have noticed, but rat excrement is very sticky. The build up of the stuff causes the rat's tails to stick together. That is when the horror begins. Unable to escape from each other, the rats freak out. Have you ever seen a freaked out rat? It's not pretty. Some of them chew off their own tails to escape. Of course, the fact that they are freaking out makes them mean. I'm not saying they're dangerous, but I wouldn't want to be near them when they find out about their predicament.

Rats that are trapped in rat kings are usually pulling in all directions. While there are accounts of balls of rats moving in one direction, they usually stay put. Because they are trapped, they cannot find food for themselves. They may eat everything around them. They may attack and eat each other, but eventually, every rat in the rat king will die of starvation. I consider that a merciful end to a horrible fate. I mean, can you imagine being stuck to dozens of other people on account of your own excrement. I would want to die too.

Rat kings are a rare occurrence, and, surprisingly, a valuable one. Many museums will pay a hefty price for a preserved rat king. It is very rare to find one intact. Nine times out of ten, the rats will manage to escape the ball of squirming excrement. Of those that do stick together and die, most of them will be devoured by maggots and other disgusting decomposers. So whenever a rat king is found, it is usually preserved. But that is very rare. I don't think too many museums even have rat kings anymore. The most famous one is in a museum in London. I could be wrong, though. I would not recommend it, but if you wanted to go looking for a rat king, the best place would a crowded sewer. There, rats live in cramped conditions. Plus, they are surrounded by excrement. Ideal for the creation of a rat king. If you feel that's what you want to do, then I wish you the best of luck. Happy hunting.

No sources other than prior knowledge were used in this article.