Imagine you stumble upon a piece of urban folklore that captivates the entire city, only to find out it’s all a big misunderstanding! Such is the case with the infamous 'Chicago Rat Hole,' which took social media by storm last year as people flocked to leave coins and offerings at what they believed was a rat's imprint in the concrete. However, a groundbreaking new study reveals that this hole, which became a tourist sensation, was likely not crafted by a rat at all but rather by a local squirrel.

Published in the journal Biology Letters on October 15, this intriguing study led by Michael Granatosky, an evolutionary biomechanist from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, sheds light on the true creator of this notorious indentation. Granatosky recalls his initial thoughts when he first encountered the hole, admitting, "Just like everyone else, I looked at it like, 'Yep, that's a rat.' But just assuming something is not the best way to actually do science."

The 'Chicago Rat Hole' had been a well-preserved imprint for decades until it caught fire on social media, thanks to comedian Winslow Dumaine's post on X, where he called for a pilgrimage to the site. Dumaine observed, "Squirrels are a lot more TV-ready than rats are," highlighting how the misnomer played a pivotal role in the hole's viral rise. After all, who doesn’t find adorable squirrels more appealing than their scruffy rodent counterparts?

As researchers delved deeper, they began to doubt the rat theory after seeing photos of the hole online. Edwin Dickinson, a senior author of the study and an archaeologist at the University of Calgary, noted that the hole didn’t appear very rat-like and questioned why a rat wouldn’t leave footprints leading to the indentation. This curiosity drove them to utilize the citizen science app iNaturalist to identify which local critters could be responsible.

Despite missing the actual hole—removed by city officials due to the chaos of tourists—the researchers cleverly used images posted by visitors alongside coins and other offerings to help gauge its size. Their analysis drew parallels to specimens at the American Museum of Natural History, leading to the astonishing conclusion that there was a staggering 98.7% chance that an eastern grey squirrel or a fox squirrel created the indentation.

In light of their findings, the scientists even proposed a new name: the 'Windy City Sidewalk Squirrel.' This quirky rebranding aims not only to celebrate the actual creator but also to highlight a charming aspect of science. Dickinson passionately stated, "The rat hole might be the medium, but the idea that we're hoping to perpetuate in this study is… there's nothing too inherently complicated or scary about following the scientific method. It is something that we can all use in our lives."