Giant Rat Problem

ABCnews.com ^ | 17 October 2001 | By Lee Dye

[VadeRetro]

Giant Rat Problem

Scientist Using Genetics
to Trace Rat Migration

By Lee Dye
Special to ABCNEWS.com

Rodents that began as normal-sized rats like
this one, evolved into giant rats after
migrating to South America. Now scientists
are using genetics to trace their migration. (ArtToday)

Oct. 17 -- Rodney Honeycutt set out to solve a scientific mystery, but he soon found himself up to his eyeballs in rats with a very strange story to tell.

Honeycutt, a professor of biology at Texas A&M, has been studying the evolution of rodents for the past eight years, and he has been particularly interested in the giant rats of South America, some of which can tip the scales at nearly 200 pounds. Genetic evidence shows that these strange rats shared a common ancestor with rats now living in Africa.

For years now scientists have postulated and bickered over how two species of closely related rodents could have found themselves separated by an ocean. Fossil evidence indicates that the rats arrived in South America between 36 million and 40 million years ago.

The rest of the article here.

[VadeRetro]

Must have been one heck of a raft trip.

[VadeRetro]

Bump for our little rodent friends (and their awesome South American cousins).

[Liberal Classic]

This man ever seen a nutria?

[VadeRetro]

Nutrias are big but I think capybaras are the 200-pounders they're talking about in the article. Biggest rodents in the world, IIRC.

[Diddle E. Squat]

...some of which can tip the scales at nearly 200 pounds

About the size of your average Senator.

[Liberal Classic]

A rat that weighs more than me? Damn.

[Gadsden1st]

This man ever seen a nutria?

This man has, simmered in a nice sauce piquant. Tasted like chicken.

[doug from upland]

Yep, DiFi is a 200-pound RAT.

[Billy_bob_bob]

Perhaps a junior senator, but it would take two to equal one senior senator like Teddy Kennedy!

[VadeRetro]

The Capybara, AKA "South American Hairy Hippo"

[father_elijah]

Ah nutria -- the hot new item on Louisiana menus.

It does not taste like chicken. No, it defintely do not.

[Diogenesis]

Dont panic. Homeland defense will take care of this.

[nunya bidness]

Big rats...

Big cats. Problem solved.

[Gadsden1st]

Ah nutria -- the hot new item on Louisiana menus. It does not taste like chicken. No, it defintely do not.

I remember when the red fish population was almost wiped out when "Blackened Redfish" became the rage. The only hope to get some control of the nutria would be to convince the yankees it is some great gourmet item.

[VadeRetro]

Is that thing real? I thought I had a big cat!

[sonofatpatcher2]

I was Bass fishing last spring at Lake Fork, Texas. It was right at dusk when I made a cast into some weeds and hooked something. I pulled and it didn't move. I though I was snagged on a submerged log until it started to pull back--

Right out of the water and up the bank...

My buddy grabbed a flashlight and pointed it my taunt line. He followed my line up to a dark mass moving away into the brush. There went the biggest darned nutria I ever saw and about 30 yards of my line.

[VadeRetro]

Now that's a funny pic!

[dubyagee]

The Capybara, AKA "South American Hairy Hippo"

I sure hope all rat niches are filled here in North America. :^ \

[nunya bidness]

I don't know but it's funny as hell.

[VadeRetro]

Cat that size would be a threat to neighborhood kids (but maybe not to a capybara).