NEW YORK, NY – A viral video claiming to show a giant rat in a New York City bodega has taken the internet by storm, amassing over 11 million views.
The footage, posted on social media in June 2024, sparked widespread reactions and comments from users dubbing the rodent a “New Yorker Rat.” find the video and details confirmed by our source on Yahoo
Despite the video’s authenticity, rodent experts have confirmed that the creature is not a rat.
According to Adam Ahlers, an Associate Professor at Kansas State University who specializes in muskrat populations, the animal is “100 percent” a muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus).
This sentiment was echoed by Tom Giarla, an Associate Professor at Siena College, who identified the rodent as either a muskrat or a nutria, based on its distinctive features.
Jane Hurst, a professor at the University of Liverpool, also supported this identification, noting the tail’s characteristics typical of a muskrat.
Similarly, Steven Belmain, a professor of ecology at the University of Greenwich, concurred, pointing out that although some might loosely label large rodents like muskrats as “rats,” they are technically not.
The video first surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) on June 12, 2024, with the caption,
“Rats in New York City are built different.” It quickly spread across other platforms including Facebook and TikTok, where similar miscaptioned posts appeared.
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Snopes, a fact-checking website, reached out to multiple rodent experts to verify the claims.
All experts unanimously agreed that the creature was misidentified. The site continues to seek additional confirmations from organizations like the American Veterinary Medical Association and the United States Department of Agriculture.
In conclusion, while the video has captured the fascination of millions, it serves as a reminder of the importance of accurate identification.
The rodent in question is not a giant rat but rather a muskrat or nutria, both of which are amphibious rodents known to inhabit North America.