Giant rat: Swedes agog at 'Ratzilla' in Stockholm



The appearance of a massive rat in a Stockholm family's kitchen has made headlines in Sweden, where it is being dubbed "Ratzilla".

Measuring 40cm (nearly 16in) plus tail, the creature terrified the family in Solna district.

Pest controllers finally killed the intruder using an oversized trap.

Even the family cat had refused to enter the kitchen while the giant rat was in residence, father Erik Korsas told BBC News.

It appears that it reached the kitchen via a ventilation pipe, having gnawed its way through cement and wood.

After devouring food leftovers under the sink, the creature feasted on a "Swedish smorgasbord" of waste in the bin, according to Mr Korsas.

The women of the house - mother Signe and daughters Dana and Erica, 17 and 15 respectively - took fright but his sons, 13-year-old Justus and six-year-old Laurentius, eventually proved themselves as genuine rat-hunters, he said.

It was the boys who investigated after the trap was sprung and the injured animal crawled away. It was they who brought him tools to help establish that it was well and truly dead.

Justus wielded the iPad which captured his father posing with the dead intruder.



Source : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26764929

OMG thats terrifying.

What a monster! Actually, I'd quite like them if it wasn't for their propensity to spread disease. I'd kick the cat out!

don't like.


Saw qualitys link and the first thing I thought about was the the scariest books I've ever read that left a very lasting impression on me.... the Rat Trilogy by James Herbert.

Isn't half of their 'fear factor' them being small, scurrying types?

Yup that's a biggie - not as big as one I came face to face with in the seventies though

oioioi wrote:

It was.

oioioi wrote:
No
Half of thier fear factor is that they are larger than mice & they carry disease,
and if you corner em they will go for your throat.

Here's another interesting tibit regarding Rats.

Link:-Scientists say rats could grow to size of sheep in future

@psketti - I'm with you on that one!
@Gilly -

Is it true that only rats and cockroaches could survive a nuclear blast or am I making that up?

psketti wrote:
True, but I think it is a euphemism for politicians and bankers

psketti wrote:
I don't think they could survive the actual blast (if in the blast radius) , but as far as I know they can survive the radiation that follows.

Here's Mythbusters on the cockroach question: Answer - Plausable
Cockroaches Survive Nuclear Explosion

Afterthought: Can't really find much info on the survivability of rats, so dunno on that one.

Quality Street wrote:
QS - I think rat survivability is based on how numerous they are and how fast they breed. Down to sheer numbers and that they breed all year round and enough would survive long enough to produce the next generation litter before they died from the initial radioactive exposure and within a short time have another litter on the way. Fast as fuck or fuck too fast is their survival strategy

metro.co.uk/2014/04/04/the-new-ratzilla-...amilys-loft-4688954/

Evie wrote:
OMG! This is starting to be NOT FUNNY.

Here's another link on this one: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2596975/Giant-rat-size-cat-cornered-killed-pest-control-Dublin-home-terrorising-family.html