Rat-shaped hole in Chicago sees rodent-crazed visitors flock to the windy city after photo goes viral
16 January 2024, 12:37
A ‘rat-hole’ in Chicago has seen visitors flocking to the windy city to make a pilgrimage to see the spot where a rodent-shaped mark pitted into the pavement after going viral on social media.
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The strange ‘rat-hole’ was posted to X by local artist and comedian Winslow Dumaine earlier this month, prompting people to travel to Roscoe Village in Chicago to see the rodent-shaped silhouette for themselves.
The post shows a photo of a shallow imprint, which has been filled with rainwater, in the shape of a splayed-out rat that looks as if it's been splatted against the concrete.
Visitors have left offerings to the rat hole with a myriad of bizarre offerings such as coins, small trinkets, including a fake rodent, and even a tiny bouquet.
The hole has been at the centre of furious sleuthing over its origins, as people trade their theories on how the imprint got there, with some even questioning if the hole is rat-shaped at all.
“That definitely looks more like a squirrel than a rat to me,” one Reddit user commented. “And I say this as somebody who has been bitten by a squirrel.”
“Naw... it's a squirrel... I live in Roscoe Village and we've done research... It's a squirrel...,” another agreed.
“You can tell by the foot prints next to it.”
The post was captioned by Mr Dumaine, who is seen grinning as he crouches down next to the famous mark, which read: “Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole.”
The viral post has captured the curiosity of thousands of social media users and has gained more than five million views and a whopping 136,000 likes so far.
The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce has also taken part in the rat craze that has taken over the city.
“We could not resist the urge to give into the hype,” they said in a Facebook post.
“From Remy to Mickey Mouse, rodents have a special place in the heart of pop culture. The Roscoe Village "Rat Hole" is no exception.”
“This little guy deserves to live out his fame by name!” they added.
The hole is believed to be from a rat having the misfortune of falling on wet concrete before either decaying over time or being removed.
The imprint has been a hot topic of debate in the neighborhood for more than a decade, but the story behind the rat hole has never been confirmed.
It's not clear if the rodent survived, with people remaining divided by compelling evidence on either side suggesting that there was no obvious trail leading away from the imprint while others say there are small paw-like markings nearby. The mystery continues.
