Way back in the ancient times of early 2024, a slab of freshly poured concrete became an Internet sensation after a decades-old imprint went viral. It was a bit of a blue or gold dress situation, where people online debated if the imprint was of a rat, a squirrel, or some other kind of animal.
A team of actual scientific researchers made it their mission to determine, once and for all, exactly what kind of creature (or maybe what object) made such an imprint.
The casting, brilliantly dubbed “Splatatouille,” can be found on West Roscoe Street. People leave offerings by its side. There is a music festival named after it. One couple got engaged in front of it. But what is “it” exactly?
A rat? A chipmunk? A tiny chupacabra?
Origins of Chicago’s ‘Rat Hole’ Finally Revealed
According to a recent study published in Biology Letters, researchers took forensic-level measurements of the imprint and compared it to 37 mammal species known to skitter around Chicago. Those researchers say that with 89.6 percent certainty, the imprint belonged to an eastern grey squirrel.
The squirrel probably fell at a nearby tree and splattered onto fresh concrete like Wile E. Coyote after a botched scheme to catch the roadrunner. And now it’s famous. Sort of.
Dr. Michael Granatosky of the University of Tennessee led the research team. While the long tail and lack of bushy outline initially came off as rat-like, rats don’t typically leap off high places.
But squirrels do. They do it all the time. Anyone who’s ever had to chase a squirrel off of a birdfeeder knows those little fuzzy creatures will leap from even the greatest of heights when startled.
One day, a squirrel was navigating the areas just above West Roscoe St. when it accidentally plopped down into wet concrete, creating the famous but now gone Splatatouille site. It’s gone because the city replaced that particular sidewalk slab in April 2024.
Luckily, the concrete impression was preserved and relocated to Chicago’s City Hall. That’s a genuine slab of Chicago pop history right there. You can’t just throw that out.
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