# "Ratzilla" caught in Stockholm family home -- giant 16" rat **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 28, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757 "2014-03-28T13:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/41 "2014-03-30T00:42:00Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Cat enters stage left, humming “How I love them mousies, mousies what I love to eat”, spies Ratzilla: **“YARRRGGHHH!!!”** [Just like this…](http://youtu.be/LweTcDegxek) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/42 "2014-03-30T04:10:26Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > And why stop at sheep? Rats the size of ponies! Imagine how big the sheep get! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/43 "2014-03-30T11:53:59Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Quote: > However, scientists do believe they (rats) could eventually grow into the size of sheep, Dr Jan Zalasiewicz, of the University of Leicester in the UK, recently told the BBC. . . .] For a while they did (and even bigger), [on the island of Anguilla](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TPrLWD5gxI), about 125K years ago. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/44 "2014-03-30T20:32:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I wonder if there are any fire swamps nearby. Fire swamps? I don’t think they exist… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/45 "2014-03-30T21:10:50Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > [Just like this…](http://youtu.be/LweTcDegxek) I was thinking more like [this](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ceme_merrie-melodies-pop-im-pop-1950_shortfilms). ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/46 "2014-03-30T21:11:50Z")
"Where is Eddie? He usually eats these goddam things. " ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/47 "2014-03-30T23:07:26Z")
There is evolutionary advantage to growing bigger. The bigger ones out-compete the babies for the little amount of food, and more easily break into food containers. Modern buildings are very protective, so there is no advantage for being small . eg if the young rat is under the building, there is no danger from cats, snakes, etc… if there were cats attacking the young ones, the smaller rat has the advantage of having more holes to disappear into. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/48 "2014-03-30T23:37:15Z")
They got it just in time. The family was starting to empathize and even identify with the rat. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/49 "2014-03-31T00:11:58Z")
Ha! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757/50 "2014-03-31T01:27:37Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I knew I’d be too late for the rodents-of-unusual-size joke… Damn, shit, damn, me too. You know, that slight popping sound…? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratzilla-caught-in-stockholm-family-home-giant-16-rat/684757.md?page=2)