Giant rat caught in China

[Simon]

The rat, which weighed six pounds and had a 12-inch tail, was caught at the weekend in a residential area of Fuzhou, a city of six million people on China's south coast.

Now that is a giant rat!

[Source]

[Steve_Barker]

If too many of them breed, it would always be the year of the rat

Makes the ones at work look tiny.

[Michelle Goes Green]

Wow, that's scary! I'm sure there's more than just one out there.

[yellowjade]

agreed. wonder what kinda weird thing might have caused such a mutation!

[only_green_no_gray]

agreed. wonder what kinda weird thing might have caused such a mutation!

Maybe it's not a mutation, maybe it's just a bigger rat just like we have people that are 2.4 meters high

[Simon]

Maybe it's not a mutation, maybe it's just a bigger rat just like we have people that are 2.4 meters high

It's not a mutation. As the article states:

"The local forestry unit in the city identified the nightmarish creature as a bamboo rat from initial photographs, but said that it would need to examine the rat more closely before making a final identification.

Chinese bamboo rats rarely grow beyond ten inches and are found throughout southern China, northern Burma and Vietnam.

However, the Sumatra bamboo rat, usually found in the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan and in the Malay Peninsula can grow up to 30 inches long, including tail, and can weigh up to eight pounds.

A "Giant Rat of Sumatra" is mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes tale: The Adventure of a Sussex Vampire.

All bamboo rats are slow-moving and usually spend their time in underground burrows, feeding on bamboo. Chinese bamboo rats are often sold for meat in Chinese markets. The largest rats in the world are thought to be African giant pouched rats, which can grow up to 36 inches in length."