Chicago — the city of deep-dish pizza, world-class museums, the Bean and Sears (Willis) Tower — has had a new, unusual claim to fame: the Roscoe Village Rat Hole. However, a recent study found the famed Rat Hole may not actually have come from a rat.

The concrete imprint of what looks like a full-bodied rat has been part of a Chicago neighborhood sidewalk for decades, but it didn’t hit fame until January 2024, when comedian Winslow Dumaine posted a photo of it on X . The image quickly went viral, sparking interest in a new Chicago tourist attraction.

Tourists and locals flocked to see the rodent imprint, “leaving offerings like coins, flowers, figurines and even medication” at the site, according to the study. The spot inspired a proposal, a marriage and hundreds of posts on TikTok

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