What is "rat king"

n. conglomeration of rats, the tails of which have been knotted together.

A rat king is a term for a number of rats whose tails are intertwined and bound together by one of several possible mechanisms, such as entangling material like hair or sticky substances like sap. The number of rats joined together varies from a few to as many as 30. Historically, the phenomenon is particularly associated with Germany, which produced many reported instances. Rat kings occur so rarely that they have sometimes been thought to be cryptids, but there are several well-attested modern occurrences. A similar phenomenon happens with other small rodents such as forest mice and squirrels.

In folklore, rat kings are associated with various superstitions and were often seen as a bad omen, particularly associated with plagues.

The Rat King is a fictional character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles multimedia franchise. The character was created by Jim Lawson and first appeared in the comic Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 written by Jim Lawson and has made various appearances since, in the comic books and other media, such as animated series' and video games.

The Rat King remains one of the more enigmatic characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with various appearances depicting him as either a villain, a neutral character and even an ally of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Rat King has distinguishable attire, which consists of filthy, tattered rags and, most prominently, various bandages covering his body. The Rat King has apparent telepathic influence over rats.

A Rat king is a rare condition where a group of rats' tails become entangled.

Rat king may also refer to:

• Rat King, a character in The Penguins of Madagascar
• Rat King, a character in The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
• Rat King (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles multimedia franchise
• Rat King (album), 2011 album by The Ghost And The Grace
• Ratking (novel), a 1988 novel by Michael Dibdin
• Ratking (group), a hip hop group from New York City
• "The King of Rats", a short story prequel set in the world of the young adult trilogy The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Rat King is the second studio album by the Swedish death metal band, As You Drown. It was released on October 7, 2011 via Metal Blade Records. This album was mixed and mastered by Plec at Panic Room Studio in Skövde in July 2011. The artwork was made by Mark Riddick and Sven de Caluwe.