# A rat. A giant F'ing rat. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417 "2007-12-18T02:00:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/21 "2007-12-18T06:02:33Z")
I know you’re kidding, but trust me, they’re rats. I lived next door to a guy who was breeding them. Scary fuckers. My cats didn’t want anything to do with them. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/22 "2007-12-18T14:05:48Z")
You know there are Albertans\* here and you still link this. I’m not looking, can’t make me. \*Alberta doesn’t have rats. And now I live in Baltimore. Nice conditioning, eh? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/23 "2007-12-18T14:19:21Z")
[Don Knotts] _Sniff_ I could take 'em _Sniff_[/Don Knotts] Quite cute really, those giant rats. At least they didn’t find some inect that big. :::shudder::: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/24 "2007-12-18T14:20:57Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] scientists have found a species of giant rats. [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > N. rajah is known to occasionally trap vertebrates and even small mammals. Drowned rats have been observed in the pitchers of N. rajah.[6] It is one of only two Nepenthes species documented as having caught mammalian prey in the wild, the other being N. rafflesiana. [Protect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_rajah) yourselves. Now. While there is still time. 'possum’s kind of cool, though. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/25 "2007-12-18T14:32:02Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s the Giant Rat of Sumatra. Well, O.K., it’s actually from the other side of Indonesia, but I intend to keep on calling it that. I don’t think the world is quite prepared for this story, Vanneman and Boyer (and all the others) notwithstanding > **[Giant Rat of Sumatra: Boyer, Richard L: 9780586200872: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Rat-Sumatra-Richard-Boyer/dp/0586200878)** > > Giant Rat of Sumatra \[Boyer, Richard L\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Giant Rat of Sumatra > **[Amazon.com: Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra: 9780786711253:...](https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Giant-Rat-Sumatra/dp/0786711256)** > > Amazon.com: Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra: 9780786711253: Vanneman, Alan: Books > **[The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore: Fleischman, Sid, Hendrix, John:...](https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Rat-Sumatra-Pirates-Galore/dp/0060742380)** > > The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore \[Fleischman, Sid, Hendrix, John\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore > **[The Giant Rat of Sumatra (Baker Street Detectives): Thoene, Luke, Thoene, Jake:...](https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Sumatra-Baker-Street-Detectives/dp/141430367X)** > > The Giant Rat of Sumatra (Baker Street Detectives) \[Thoene, Luke, Thoene, Jake\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Giant Rat of Sumatra (Baker Street Detectives) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/26 "2007-12-18T14:39:02Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Awwwwwwwwwww!!! I want one! Man, now I miss Skippy the Wonder Dog. Pet rat brought down in his prime by a spider bite… [/QUOTE] Actually, this is what I’m afraid of. People will import them as ‘exotic’ pets. Of course some will escape and some will be set free when the owner tires of them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/27 "2007-12-18T15:18:55Z")
Calm yourselves. [Nepenthes in action.](http://www.jardin-botanique-lyon.com/static/jbot/contenu/jardin_botanique/actualites/nepenthes6p.jpg) For (ahem) a small fee, I can make all your rodents belong to us. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/28 "2007-12-18T15:33:26Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] Is it bad, if your first reaction is to want to eat one? A rat is good eats… a large rat is good eats for a family. [/QUOTE] Have you tried [this recipe](http://books.google.com/books?id=AUxWtb2t_A0C&pg=PA230&lpg=PA230&dq=millers+in+onion+sauce&source=web&ots=VaXoTa3bEu&sig=5VmGRiZwzOiR5PNpIShIG6ZUy0Y)? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/29 "2007-12-18T16:21:20Z")
I’m sorry, but like **Hostile Dialect** says, I’ve seen rats that big (in DC). They aren’t afraid of people, either, but not for the same reason as the Indonesian ones. Stupid New Media. None of their “reporters” know how to think for themselves. This stupid story is just another example of what you get when you dumb down journalism (even further). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/30 "2007-12-18T16:32:07Z")
He thought it was a viscious rat, but the veterinarian informed him that it was actually a native poodle. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/31 "2007-12-18T16:51:11Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Awwwwwwwwwww!!! I want one!.. [/QUOTE] Yeah, lunatic thoughts like this will have us living in a live-action Chuck E. Cheese. Maybe you can drop them off in the Everglades to feed the giant frickin’ pythons people released. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/32 "2007-12-19T00:20:01Z")
Hey, rats make awesome pets. I’d think a bigger one would just be hardier and possibly more intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/33 "2007-12-19T04:52:34Z")
Has no one on this board been to Brooklyn? Those aren’t rats… ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/34 "2007-12-19T05:45:45Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] Has no one on this board been to Brooklyn? Those aren’t rats… [/QUOTE] I spent quite a lot of time at the Navy Yard (now closed, I hear) in Brooklyn. I saw plenty of rats, big ones, but none quite like these. I also saw huge-ass city rats. Still, no match. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/35 "2007-12-19T14:05:33Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Calm yourselves. [Nepenthes in action.](http://www.jardin-botanique-lyon.com/static/jbot/contenu/jardin_botanique/actualites/nepenthes6p.jpg) For (ahem) a small fee, I can make all your rodents belong to us. [/QUOTE] Nice one. I’ve got a picture of a flytrap eating an Anole I’ll need to dig out for yas. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/36 "2007-12-19T14:15:08Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] Nice one. I’ve got a picture of a flytrap eating an Anole I’ll need to dig out for yas. [/QUOTE] I would like to see that; The Venus Flytrap has rather small, week traps. Nepenthes has a container of…gunk…that digests the prey. One presumes something as large as a mouse or rat drowns first. Yum! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/37 "2007-12-19T14:22:30Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] It’s the Giant Rat of Sumatra. Well, O.K., it’s actually from the other side of Indonesia, but I intend to keep on calling it that. [/QUOTE] Sumatra, West of Java. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/38 "2007-12-19T14:35:55Z")
I printed this out and put it up on the bulletin board outside my office. Merry Christmas!! ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/39 "2007-12-19T14:41:29Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] I would like to see that; The Venus Flytrap has rather small, week traps. Nepenthes has a container of…gunk…that digests the prey. One presumes something as large as a mouse or rat drowns first. Yum! [/QUOTE] Sadly, my Nepenthes subsist on a boring diet of cockroaches. The trap in question as large and the lizard was small. enjoy ![Venus](https://a4.pbase.com/g6/76/731076/3/82856560.4lKkeBBT.jpg) (not my photos, by the way) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417/40 "2007-12-19T15:37:53Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] The trap in question as large and the lizard was small. [/QUOTE] Cool. Thanks! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-a-giant-fing-rat/430417.md?page=3)