MEXICO: With the discovery of a giant rat fossil, the size of a small dog, many are asking just how big can rats really grow.
Scientists claim, given the right circumstances, a rat can grow as big as a cow.
Millions of years ago, giant rodents had once prowled the Earth. Archeologists found the fossils of an extinct species of rat in East Timor, and it is 10 times bigger than the average modern day rat. Researchers are now working on a way to understand why these supposedly herbivore rats died out.
“They are what you would call mega-fauna. The biggest one is about five kilos (about 11 pounds), the size of a small dog,” said Dr. Julien Louys from the School of Culture, History and Language of the Australian National University.
The largest known rodent, the extinct Josephoartegasia monesi, weighed over a ton and was as large as a bull. Its modern day equivalent is the capybara, which is roughly the same size of a sheep.
An average rat would weigh about a pound, but scientists said that giant rodents can weigh as much as 175 pounds if given the opportunity to become the dominant species.
