Some other critter likely created Chicago's 'rat hole'

Researchers have concluded that Chicago's famous "rat hole," an imprint in a sidewalk that gained viral fame, was likely not made by a rat. The imprint, which closely resembles a spread-eagled rat with visible claws, arms, legs, and a tail, was created about 20 to 30 years ago when a creature fell into wet sidewalk cement in the Roscoe Village neighborhood. A new study published in the journal Biology Letters, conducted by researchers from the University of Tennessee, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the University of Calgary, analyzed photos of the imprint and compared it to specimens of common Chicago animals. They ruled out birds, snakes, frogs, and turtles due to the presence of limb outlines and a tail. Further analysis of claw and paw sizes indicated the creature was likely a rat, mouse, squirrel, chipmunk, or muskrat. However, the long forelimbs, third digits, and hind paws were too large for a rat, fitting instead within the measurement ranges for Eastern gray squirrels, fox squirrels, and muskrats. The study posits that the Eastern gray squirrel is the most probable culprit due to its abundance in Chicago. The researchers suggest a squirrel might have misjudged a leap or slipped from a branch and landed in the wet cement. They note that rats are nocturnal, and c... download the app to read more