Because infestation and the spread of disease weren’t enough, here’s another rat-related thing to worry about: rat kings. No, it’s not the collapse of another rodent democracy that’s cause for distress, but something so terrifying that it makes the sight of a rat feasting on garbage seem like a corgi licking a lollipop in a field full of daisies.

Still interested in learning what a rat king is?

Why?

(H/T BuzzFeed)

The bond between the tails can be fortified by blood, dirt, feces, and probably any other disgusting thing you can think of. No one knows how rat kings are formed, but it’s safe to say that seeing it happen would haunt your thoughts for all of eternity.

Oh, and for those of you who wanted to get to sleep tonight by dismissing it all as folklore, there have been several rat king sightings throughout history–one even as recently as 2005.

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