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    Top 5 Viral Rat Stories According To Me, A Rat-Expert

    Top 5 Rat Stories that went viral enough to transcend Rat Fandom and escape to the Wider Internet, according to me, a self-professed Rat Expert.

    Naomi Westerman
    by Naomi Westerman

    Community Contributor

    5. 5. Finland's National Rat Basketball Team.

    A photo of a rat holding a teeny tiny basketball
    Heureka / Via tripadvisor.in

    A science centre in Finland has a rat basketball team. You can watch matches online, or pay a visit in person.

    The Rats of Heureke

    4. Romantic rat risks death to share donut with rat girlfriend

    Two screencaptures side by side, the left one shows a rat dragging a donut in its mouth, and and the right one shows two rats sitting underneath a subway rail sharing the same donut.
    smallredcar on TikTok / Via tiktok.com

    In 2023, a NYC subway rat went viral after being filmed risking electrocution to bring a donut to his lady rat.

    Original video

    3. Rats like driving mini cars, says scientists

    A photo of a small "rat car" - a clear perspex container mounted on wheels. The 'car' has symbols for the University of Richmond on it. There is a small black and white rat inside the car.
    University of Richmond / Via newscientist.com

    A 2019 study from the University of Richmond found that rats enjoy driving mini cars, and will drive for the sheer pleasure of it, even without treats as a reward.

    These rats learned to drive tiny cars for science

    2. It's Showtime for this pole-dancing subway rat!

    NY Post / Via Twitter: @nypmetro

    This 2016 NY Post headline is frankly iconic.

    It's Showtime!

    1. PIZZA RAT

    A screencapture of a brown rat dragging a massive slice of pizza up some subway stairs.
    Matt Little / Via vox.com

    The one, the only, the iconic.... number one can only be PIZZA RAT. This rat went viral for dragging a slice of pizza, became a meme, and even became a Halloween costume. It may possibly have been a stunt by a performance artist, but who cares? We stan this carb king.

    Original video

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