Leicester academic says rats will grow to be larger than cows

Rats could fill the gaps in our ecosystem if larger mammals start to become extinct.


Dr. Jan Zalasiewicz, a Senior Lecturer in Palaeobiology, has said that rats could grow to weight 176lbs.

The horrifying thought could become real as larger mammals become extinct and rats fill the empty ecospace.

Imagine a situation like this…

The concept has already been well documented as tiny mammals only began to grow in size after the dinosaurs were wiped out. Rats have already been seen to dominate so-called ‘Rat Islands’ were humans introduced the pests.

Currently the largest rodent is the South American Capybara which weighs in at 17lbs, just one tenth the potential size of rats.

Capybara…The World’s largest rodent

The largest extinct rodent known was the Josephoartegasia monesi, which lived over three million years ago. It weighed over a tonne.

Dr Zalasiewicz said: “Animals will evolve, over time, into whatever designs will enable them to survive and to produce offspring.”

It is widely known that rats are one of the best examples of a species that can quickly and successfully adapt to new environments. It’s a characteristic that has made them notoriously hard to eradicate.

Imagine how hard it would be to get rid of them if they weighed over 150lbs…but imagine the fun you could have…

A new Varsity event?

As if giant rats weren’t enough, scientists have previously warned that snakes could grow to be as long as buses. They could also be so fat that they could only just squeeze through doors.

“Get these motherfucking snakes, off my motherfucking campus!”

We could also see Turtles the size of SmartCars hunting crocodiles.

These animals could make a resurgence after their fossils have been found in South America.

During the period the fossils have been dated to global temperatures rose by six degrees over 200,000 years. The same could happen again if the global warming trend continues.