ET TU BRUTE?
Posted on 10/28/2009 9:50:50 AM PDT by Daffynition
Reader Wayne sent us this photograph and explains, "I was walking along and texting. Not really paying that much attention. Then something caught my eye. I thought I was about to step in dog shit, but quickly realized it was a rat stuck in the sidewalk. A big rat. It had tried to squeeze through a crack in the sidewalk and failed."
Update: Another reader created the second photograph in the gallery, adding, "hopefully this makes it a little better!"
We are still awaiting a reply from Wayne to ask if he tried to help the little guy (or gal) out, where it was located and whether we needed to send out a rescue squad. And if you want to pass the time with some Photoshopped sad rat images... well, you can send them to tips@gothamist.com and we'll compile them into a gallery later.
Update 7:50 p.m.: We've added some of the rat-in-sidewalk Photoshops—if you're not doing anything this Friday night, send 'em our way!
Update 10/24: More Photoshopped Sad Rat photographs here, plus a poll asking what you would do if you saw a rat emerging from a sidewalk. And Wayne got back to our questions. He says, "It was on my block on the Upper West Side. 82nd Street between CPW and Columbus. I thought it was alive, but after getting up the nerve to poke it with a (long) stick, I realized he was dead. I did what any wonderful caring masculine New Yorker would do, I told the doorman about it and ran off to work. That night the sidewalk with spic and span. I hear the Eulogy was beautiful and moved some to tears."
Shape of it's head. If it's a triangle then it's poisonous--if it's an oval, it's not poisonous.
Why did the snake coil up when I started throwing rocks at it? If not to strike at me?
It was being attacked by you. It was attempting some form of defense. Coiling is not usually done for offense.
My heart was pounding a million miles an hour while I was tossing big stones at that snake!
While this is not evidence of a dangerous snake, it is evidence that you don't know anything about them. Just stay away from them and leave them alone.
A snake like in that photo is cause enough for me to get my shotgun!
From watching those TV shows about snakes, some of the world’s most deadly snakes won’t even bother you if you leave them alone.
My wife screams at the very sight of a small garden snake.
I really don’t see how this can happen (unless the sidewalk shifted when the rat was coming out? I know that if a rat (or mouse for that matter) can get his/her nose to protrude through an opening, the rest of their body can flatten or elongate to allow the rest of their bod to fit through.
I think we have been spoofed. (Or maybe I have?)
Anyone else agree?
Heh, my wife screamed at the site of that one.
I went out to play with it.
Brilliant!
Looks like a 7 or 8 iron to me.
Personally I like snakes...Had one living in my front yard flower garden for two years, but found it without its head on my grass this summer...I figure one of my dogs or some other critter hate snakes also.
Oh wow.
I’m with you...snakes are ok.
Spiders must die.
Is that Richard Gere? ... That’s what I was afraid of.
If had seen that in my yard - I’d have taken my shovel, or shotgun, and used it. Period.
I have 3 daughters, and a cat.
have no problems going all the way with this.
I will take this moment to recommend you buy a .38 or .357 revolver and snake shot rounds if you’re gonna go around shooting snakes with ‘shot’. Using a shotgun near a house is a good way to damage a house and/or people in the area, whereas using snake shot in a revolver is a lot more controlled. ... Trust me, I found out the hard way.
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