This Rat Helps Itself to a Pizza Slice That’s Bigger Than Its Entire Body

As appetites go, this is pretty impressive. The incredible clip shows a rat pulling a slice of pizza bigger than its entire body between some subway tracks. Apparently filmed in New York, the greedy rodent is clearly on a mission, but it is not clear where it is going!

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How Many Rats Live in New York?

New York’s rat problem is no secret. Latest estimates put the city’s rat population at around 3 million, having increased by 1 million in just the last decade. The recent Covid pandemic was good news for rats. The increase in food waste left outside by outdoor diners was just what they wanted. Combined with this are the recent cuts to the city sanitation department budget, and New York City is a perfect residence for these rodents. The situation is now so serious that the authorities are considering gassing them in their burrows.

It is not at all unusual to see rats on the subway system in New York. To try to quantify the problem, the popular transport app Transit has now launched a feature where you can report rat sightings in the subway system. As of November 2023, 17,000 reports have already been received, and the top of the ‘rattiest’ stations were 191 Street and Grand Avenue.

What Do Brown Rats Normally Eat?

The rat population of New York is dominated by brown rats, also called Norway rats. Their scientific name is Rattus norvegicus. They are a native species of China, but thanks to human travel, they are now found all over the world and are widespread in North America. Their fur is coarse and usually brown or dark grey, and their bellies are light grey or brown. They have bodies that are about 10 inches long, and their tails add another 10 inches. Brown rats construct burrows and nests below ground and often use human materials such as paper or cloth to make them.

When it comes to food, these rats are foragers and are not that fussy! As omnivores, they eat both plants and animals. In the wild, they would eat plants and even prey on fish, lizards, and baby birds. When they live in agricultural areas, they eat crops and animal feed. However, those who live in cities eat mainly discarded food (such as pizza) found in garbage. Some people keep Norway rats as pets, and these are fed on seeds, nuts, vegetables, and pasta!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © komkrit Preechachanwate/Shutterstock.com