My prof in University was telling us rats can grow to the size of bears..he explained they will continue to gain wieght without a limit with a constant food supply. During WWI he said when Germany invaded France in trench warefare, stories of rats the size of small cars were seen. I challenged him and he wasnt moved..Please tell me is this truth or fiction and if i can find info to document this online.
2007-07-10 14:36:22 · 15 answers · asked by River 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Im not retarded nor do i belive my prof's story..so the idiots replying with questions should ask.."Do i answer a question with a question?" then post it.
2007-07-10 14:54:00 · update #1
However he is a very respected prof and seems convinced of the history..moreover he said it wasnt documented in too many places. He said the rats evolved to deal with the large quantity of human bodies.
2007-07-10 14:55:40 · update #2
Much appreciated to those giving informative answers..I think i will print it and post it to his office door.:}
2007-07-10 16:08:24 · update #3
The mud and shelling were not the only danger to the men in the trenches. As can be imagined these insanitary places were a breeding ground for all sorts of infestations and vermin. Lice, frogs, beetles, slugs, and worst of all the rats.
The soldiers hated the rats which infested the battlefield in their tens of millions. The brown rat was considered more loathsome than the black rat. Their favourite food was human flesh, particularly the eyes and liver. Some grew as big as cats and sometimes were known to attack sleeping men. They contaminated food and spread disease, including a most infectious jaundice.
The soldiers shot, bayoneted, clubbed and poisoned them, but the rats kept coming back to their loathsome activities. One thing the soldiers did know however, was that when the rats disappeared then they could expect an imminent bombardment. Somehow the rats always sensed shell-fire a full 30 minutes before it commenced
2007-07-11 00:56:51 · answer #1 · answered by Hobilar 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am afraid it does not seem possible for the account your professor gave to be possible. I understand that fish will continue to grow given enough food and living space, but even that I am not certain of. Apparently, the following is the only information I could find. Could it be your professor is not a native born citizen of the United States and might have mistaken 'small car' instead of an actual car but a model car? I understand that some bears are the size of rats when they are born. The statements your professor made could be true but not in the fullest extent of their possibilities.
2007-07-10 16:12:52 · answer #2 · answered by Kargin 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably fiction. That sounds a little far fetched, almost like a fish story that has been told too many times. Even if he is a prominent professor, the man is still entitled to his opinions. The fact that he said that it is "not well documented" also seems suspect in that if it was true, it would probably be more documented, wouldn't it? On a side note, evolution doesn't happen that fast. It takes millions of years.
Sorry, I'm a skeptic on this one.
Cheers!!
2007-07-10 15:06:15 · answer #3 · answered by SinisterMatt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate to be so realistic. Have you ever watched the movie "Big Fish" by Tim Burton? If you had watched it, you would have said that it is definitely true. If you study the history devoid of myths and legends(that are almost believed as truths), this major will be a tedious waste of time. Those exaggerations make them informative. The history taught is still much more exaggerated than the truths and there are lots of sides changed. These imaginative characters are much more successful and will live much more exuberantly than those conservatives who call you retarded.
2007-07-10 15:39:01 · answer #4 · answered by sting 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The largest rats that I know of weight it at about 20 lbs and they have gained this size only after fifty or so years of breeding. Given the time available it seems resonable to me that rats may have gotten up to 5 to 10 lbs on average, but not much larger.
2007-07-15 14:49:48 · answer #5 · answered by milton b 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I remember in "All Quiet on the Western Front", where he says that the rats are sleek and fat, with huge beady eyes, and about the size of a cat, because of their huge supply of corpses to feed on. The size of small cars sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, though.
2007-07-10 15:16:57 · answer #6 · answered by neil k 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It took about six weeks. The key was to know the weaknesses in the Maginot Line, which was this fortified "wall" built by the French. The German planners received some assistance in this matter from a book written by a French officer which told one how to breach this line. His name was Lieutenant Colonel Charles De Gaulle and he went on to be the first President of France in the post-war Fifth Republic.
2016-05-19 00:07:59 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is totally false, althougth, rats probably did eat carrion and grow to about the size of a racoon , or perhaps slightly larger. I recommend asking your prof for evidence supporting what he told you!
2007-07-10 14:44:04 · answer #8 · answered by chessaholic 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
im not sure, here is a story of the biggest rats i have heard of and they only grow the size of a raccoon:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-03-fla-rats_x.htm
2007-07-10 14:41:24 · answer #9 · answered by LOST_fanatic:)! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is nonsense. Ask him for proof, there must be photos of this phenomenon.
2007-07-10 17:34:34 · answer #10 · answered by brainstorm 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋