At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

KING RAT



In London folklore it is said that the rats in the sewers have a king. This monarch is always larger than the other rats and progresses with a bodyguard. He is decked in items of red cloth, brought to him by other, inferior rats. He is even rumored to wear a kind of crown on his head.

The pantomime Dick Whittington features a King Rat and one wonders if this has influenced the legend or even been its origin. The pantomime is first recorded in 1814, but a puppet show on the same subject is rtecorded in 1668, so traditions of this majestic rodent may go back for centuries. Do not confuse him with the rat-king, which is a number of rats tied together with their tails, which have to be fed by their fellows.

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