We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Pets

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Rat King?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: Jun 04, 2024
Views: 33,483
Share

A rat king is a cluster of rats which have become attached to each other by their tails. There is some debate over whether or not the rat king phenomenon is real, with some people arguing that the specimens on display are fakes, while others have attempted to prove that a rat king could actually form under certain conditions. As a general rule, rat kings are viewed as cryptozoological in origin, meaning that while they could potentially be real, they are not widely accepted by most scientists and biologists.

According to people who believe that rat kings could actually happen, they are created when a colony of rats is crowded together in a cramped space, with the animals facing outwards to deal with potential threats. As a result of prolonged confinement, the tails of the animals start to become attached to each other, entangling and forming knots which are glued together with the body fluids of the animals. When the rats are released from the confined space and they try to pull apart, the knots tighten, permanently connecting the rats to each other.

Several museums have rat kings in their archives or on display. According to people who have studied these specimens, there are some features of these rat kings which suggest that they could be genuine. These features include tails with a large number of breaks, and calluses from where the tails rubbed against each other while the rats were alive. These rat kings are often mummified by dry conditions in walls, further supporting the idea that they formed as a result of being forced into a confined space.

The rat king was viewed historically as a bad omen, and probably with good cause. Rats carry a number of diseases, perhaps most notably plague, so it is understandable that people would associate bad luck with a large cluster of rats. Diseases tend to arise more readily when animals are confined close together, so the rat king would be a breeding ground of disease if it actually existed.

There is some debate over the origin of the name. Medieval scholars have suggested that people may have been under the impression that the rat king was actually one animal with many bodies, with the “king” referring to the animal's size. Legends have suggested that a “king rat” sat on the tails of the rat king, overseeing the movement of the animals as they attempted to navigate with their matted tails.

Share
All Things Nature is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a All Things Nature researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By anon347856 — On Sep 10, 2013

This is referenced in one cartoon in the trade collection "Greyshirt" Indigo Sunset (R. Veitch) series. Also from a reference in one set of stories in "Halo Jones" (Gibson/A. Moore) from 2000AD comics.

By anon139394 — On Jan 04, 2011

This morning my farm worker killed a rat king that he found at dawn in the chicken pen. I have taken photographs. This phenomena is apparently real, and extremely weird.

By anon119728 — On Oct 19, 2010

Because they're extremely rare and almost always found dead.

By anon55142 — On Dec 04, 2009

what I have read on Rat kings is that it is only the black rat which is prone to this happening. Something about its tail structure. I think that's Ratus ratus.

Anyway most came out of chimneys and tight crawl spaces where constant climbing through nests caused the black rats tails to twine. When they fought and bred it became even worse. Sores on the tails scabbed up and scars/circulation cut off made them hard to detangle, even w/ out pulling tight.

Again, it's the less common Black rat (not those brown norwegian, or grey field rats) that this happens with. As they are less common, a population density high enough to create this would be high enough for a plague level of fleas.

By anon44260 — On Sep 06, 2009

because they can't get out of the confined spaces.

By anon24330 — On Jan 11, 2009

how come you never see pictures or photos of rat kings when they are alive?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.allthingsnature.org/what-is-a-rat-king.htm
Copy this link
All Things Nature, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

All Things Nature, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.