Episode 91 – Rat King Cole
Finally, an episode in December! Is it any surprise that it’s about cryptids?
After a lengthy but important update on the Phantom of the Chicago, Wyatt kicks off with the tale of Zana, a supposed ape woman held captive in the most difficult to pronounce reaches of the 19th-century Western Caucasus. Was she really a bipedal ape creature, or were these people just HOLY SHIT THE MOST RACIST MONSTERS IMAGINABLE? Could the answer possibly be anything BUT the latter?
Jake then gets German with the Rat King, a ball o’ rat phenomenon believed to occur all the damned time. But are rats REALLY as gross as people want to believe? And are they that bad at being alive and not fusing together? FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Don’t let the stats from the time of recording fool you: take it from America’s 225th most popular Natural Sciences podcast, Superduperstitious!
EPISODE LINKS
WYATT’S STORY
The story of Zana
Kwhit’s skull
Possible human subspecies
Calling bullshit 1
Calling bullshit 2
Royal Society article
JAKE’S STORY
Medium article
Squirrel King video
Mental Floss article
Estonian Rat King