Giant Rat Discovered in Indonesian Jungle

marcsignal

Researchers in a remote jungle in Indonesia have discovered a giant rat and a tiny possum that are apparently new to science, underscoring the stunning biodiversity of the Southeast Asian nation, scientists announced Monday.

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, according to CI's press release. "With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."

Ful article

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071217-AP-indonesia-g.html

Mr. Incognito

WTF is Martin King doing in the Philippines. get back here and do that rain dance. muppet.

Rb

omgz it's Splinter.

Senna

Looks a bit like Roland
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:aaPb4ULe2ZMoDM:http://www.ratfans.com/images/roland/roland1.JPG

Cathmandooo

I saw that in the paper today and thought of the thread here about something large trapped in someones attic, mwahahaha!

lezizi

aww it looks kinda cute

Anti

lezizi wrote: »

aww it looks kinda cute

In a disgusting plague spreading way..

boardinwork

Dont mind, spiders, snakes, heights etc

BUT KING SIZED RATS?!!!!!!!!!

Rb

Anti wrote: »

In a disgusting plague spreading way..

Think it depends on it's environment tbh

jameshayes

imagine the noise that thing would make in your attic!!

togster

Is it alive or dead?

_blank_

togster wrote: »

Is it alive or dead?

Schrodinger's Rat.

xzanti

lezizi wrote: »

aww it looks kinda cute

I think so too

JohnnyChimpo

DesF wrote: »

Schrodinger's Rat.

physics humour ftw, well played

Slow Motion

There's some good eatin' on that!

Pompey Magnus

DesF wrote: »

Schrodinger's Rat.

Malteaser!

Oh god, that's disgusting!!

Just what we need....cat sized rats!! gross

Slow Motion

"I for one welcome our new rat overlords!"

Dudess

I've got one thing to say: :eek:

Setun

marcsignal wrote: »

Researchers in a remote jungle in Indonesia have discovered a giant rat and a tiny possum that are apparently new to science, underscoring the stunning biodiversity of the Southeast Asian nation, scientists announced Monday.

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, according to CI's press release. "With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."

Ful article

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071217-AP-indonesia-g.html

When I read giant rat I thought it was going to be the size of a human. Am kinda disappointed now in a weird way...

biko

Don't worry, we'll have those SOBs extinct soon enough.

Dudess

Daddio wrote: »

When I read giant rat I thought it was going to be the size of a human. Am kinda disappointed now in a weird way...

Yeah, me too. Even though rats are my biggest fear.

Any B-movie nerds ever see a film called Nightmares featuring four different segments, the final one of which was called Night of the Rat? It was about a giant rat terrorising a family - spooked me good it did. It's the type of thing that would only be on the Sci Fi Channel so I'm pretty sure there are Boardsies who have seen it.

Dudess

Dudess wrote: »

I've got one thing to say: :eek:

So the one thing you have to say is: slightly shocked, blue blow-job-esque smiley.

Wow, thats a hell of a rat. Wouldn't want to see the size of the cat they'd use to kill that.

RubyXI

Awwww he's soooo cute. He's like a puppy sized rat. Perfect pet methinks.

ScumLord

He does look a bit friendlier than your typical city rat. I wonder do they make good pets? I reckon if they could be trained that they'd make a better protector than a dog, who'd want to mess with a giant rat?

Rhyme

I expected Sumatran Rat-Monkeys

humanji

Why does the guy have his hand up the rats ass?

rb_ie

rb_ie wrote: »

omgz it's Splinter.

I laughed so hard reading that

Pepe LeFrits

ScumLord wrote: »

He does look a bit friendlier than your typical city rat. I wonder do they make good pets? I reckon if they could be trained that they'd make a better protector than a dog, who'd want to mess with a giant rat?

Rats are common enough pets. I don't imagine giant rats are going to become too common though.

Jigsaw

Dirty thing should be beat to death with a shovel.

After testing loads of pharmaceutical products on it.

jd83

-

Tar.Aldarion

I've seen one that big at home, meh. I was expecting a huge one...

Creature

Rhyme wrote: »

I expected Sumatran Rat-Monkeys

Just for you Rhyme
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/9379/deadalive5xo4.jpg



*hopes there are giant monkeys in same jungle*

uglyjohn

Daddio wrote: »

When I read giant rat I thought it was going to be the size of a human. Am kinda disappointed now in a weird way...

im sure with a few years of selective breeding you could make them bigger. (like people did to livestock)

then you could set them loose and they would eat all the regular rats.

Call Me Jimmy

What the hell they're not new! I saw a documentary with them in them a while back and they were bigger. They weren't actually rats (obviously) but they looked almost identicle except for them being the size of a pig. (No I'm not high, I'm gonna try find a pic, can't think of the name tho)

Slow Motion

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

What the hell they're not new! I saw a documentary with them in them a while back and they were bigger. They weren't actually rats (obviously) but they looked almost identicle except for them being the size of a pig. (No I'm not high, I'm gonna try find a pic, can't think of the name tho)

You mean this ?

capibara2.jpg

Call Me Jimmy

thats the one! Although I thought I remembered them having a tail... but anyway, seeing them move around is fucd up

ScumLord

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Rats are common enough pets. I don't imagine giant rats are going to become too common though.

I've been seriously considering getting a pet rat but I'd like one of them giant ones so I could bring it for walks out the town. I'd say people would freak and run the opposite direction when they saw it. Even scary dogs would be scared of that thing.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Thats not a giant rat, this is a giant rat;

http://www.irishblogs.ie/images/223423.jpg

shrapnel222

now i can get more use out of this

Slow Motion

Mairt wrote: »

Thats not a giant rat, this is a giant rat;

http://www.irishblogs.ie/images/223423.jpg

Now there's no need to get nasty:D

asuna_cpl

Amazing discovery!

AllForIt

asuna_cpl wrote: »

Amazing discovery!

You can say that again.

B0jangles

Edit: Zombie thread seeks BRAAAAAAINS....

Odyssey 2005

AllForIt wrote: »

You can say that again.

:P:D:D:p

cantdecide

B0jangles wrote: »

Edit: Zombie thread seeks BRAAAAAAINS....

mmmmm pink gooey loveliness...

beertons

Ah lads. How many years?

2smiggy

beertons wrote: »

Ah lads. How many years?

i had a quick look, thought it was 2017, not 2007 :pac:

wexie

beertons wrote: »

Ah lads. How many years?

those rats have probably gone extinct again in the meantime

Stigura

Can't believe no one mentioned: The Institute for Studies coverage of the incident!

Riddle101

At first I thought this was recent and there I was thinking "I'm pretty sure i've seen stories about giant rat for years now" so it was no surprise to me. Then I saw the date and realized it was over 10 years ago. In any case I've seen pictures of giants rats here in Ireland so it's not just Indonesia that has them now.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/giant-ratlike-creatures-invading-irish-rivers-35719609.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/10745433/Giant-rat-found-in-Dublin-home.html