The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat

Researchers used methods from paleontology to analyze the impression left in concrete

Water fills the crime scene-like outline of a critter that splatted into once-wet concrete, leaving an impression behind.

This slab of Chicago sidewalk achieved viral fame in 2024. A new study concurs with anecdotal accounts from residents and other experts that a squirrel, not a rat, left the impression.

WinslowDumaine/Wikimedia Commons

Chicago’s viral ‘Rat Hole’ is less rat splat, more squirrel squish.