What Happens When Rats Get Stuck Together?
WouterIn Estonia, a farmer captured a video of nine rats ensnared by their tails. The rats had been residing in a rat coop, where they had abundant food and water, but when the winter weather came and the rats got stuck together, they could no longer move. This phenomenon is called ‘rat king’ and is believed to signal an impending plague or famine.
Rats produce a sticky substance on their bodies that can bind their tails together. The substance can also come from the rats’ urine or feces. The museum in Otago in New Zealand has a rat king that was found stuck together in the 1930s. Its tails were so badly stuck together that a shipping clerk blasted them with a pitchfork before throwing them into a trashcan. The dead specimen was later discovered by the curator of the museum.
Rats get stuck together when they find a narrow space to congregate in. Their long tails, ranging from 3 to nine inches long, can become tangled and knotted. In such situations, healthier rats may attach to the tails of weaker rats to form a nest. This could cause the weaker rats to die, and the dead rats leave behind a foul odor.
Rat kings are sometimes caused by gum, tree sap, or a combination of solidified substances. During cold weather, rats may tie their tails together in order to stay warm. This unusual behavior is known as rat king, and is a natural survival mechanism that can produce a rat king. However, the phenomenon is rare.
