Comment on RIP
registrert@lemmy.sambands.net 1 year agoThey’re just following the trail of pheromones ahead of them. It goes around in circles so they’ll just walk and walk until they die of exhaustion.
Never heard about it so had to read up on it, it’s as obscure as a rat king to me.
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
rat kings are mostly fake though
idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Current sience says it’s very rare, but can happen naturally. There are multiple confirmed modern sightings.
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I did say “most,” 1963, 2005 and 2021 are the only real ones I can find.
Compared to there being dozens in the 17th and 18th centuries
explodicle@local106.com 1 year ago
I imagine we did more rat watching back then.
registrert@lemmy.sambands.net 1 year ago
What makes you say that?
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
reason why i said “most” not “all” most examples are from the 17th and 18th century when proof was hard to ascertain and there have only been a handful of modern occurring examples since the prevalence of science and photography
Curiousfur@yiffit.net 1 year ago
Far fewer rats living like they did in the 17th and 18th century nowadays, though. It really feels like one of those things where it’s difficult to prove either way since the conditions cannot be duplicated in modern times. I’m still leaning towards more being faked, but not having huge chunks of a population living in 17th century squalor may be a factor in whether or not a rat king could actually form.
registrert@lemmy.sambands.net 1 year ago
Fair enough.