New evidence shows narcissistic rats are waiting to take selfies using your phone

At least, that’s what we take from the following story, which if it didn’t come with both photographic and video proof, we’d scarcely believe it happened at all. It’s all thanks to Don Richards, a man visiting Brooklyn, New York and traveling on the subway, who filmed a rat scurrying around the platform. Little did he know the rat wasn’t looking for scraps of food, but a handy camera.

The rat, singular in its mission, crawled onto the lap of an unfortunate man sleeping on the station floor. Continuing to film, Richards captured the man leaping up in surprise at the rat’s boldness, having been awoken by the flash from his smartphone’s camera, according to a Fox61 report. Checking his phone’s gallery, he found the rat’s triumphant selfie. The rat fell to the floor, but didn’t make a dash for it, presumably elated because its egotistical mission was complete.

Don Richards/Fox61

Having spotted the phone on the man’s lap, the rat must have seen its opportunity and seized it. No, it’s not the best angle — way too much nose, Mr. Rat — but the evidence is clear. There are rats on the New York subway desperate to take selfies. There are also people desperate to film them doing so, rather than wake up any dozing, and therefore probably unwilling, target.

While Richards and the unnamed smartphone owner shared a laugh about the situation, it’s not known whether the rat joined in, or if it even got to see the selfie it managed to take. Denying selfie-obsessed rats the chance to see their snaps may only increase their self-centred needs. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, it may be wise to share any resulting selfie with the vain rat; it may help satisfy its desires and quell this nightmare uprising before it really starts.