Shower Rat Revealed: It's a Pacarana, Not a Rat, and Not Actually Showering

The internet loves a rat acting like a human. Just look at Pizza Rat or Avocado Rat. The latest viral rat sensation is Shower Rat. There are a couple of things that need to be cleared up about Shower Rat though:

1. Shower Rat is not a rat.
2. Shower Rat is not taking a shower.

If you haven't seen the video yet, take a look. It does appear, at first glance, to be a rat taking a shower like a human:

But, as Newsweek points out, the "rat" is not a rat at all, but a pacarana, another species of rodent which is native to Peru.

"With the large head size, bipedal position, flexible forelimbs, short stiff tail, and consistent coat color...this animal fits the ID of a pacarana," Dallas Krentzel, an evolutionary biologist who studies rodent diversity at the University of Chicago at the Field Museum, told Newsweek.

Furthermore, the rat is not showering. It's more likely that the rat is simply trying to remove soap that was placed on him by a human. And, just as a PSA, it's never a good idea to put soap on a rodent, rat or otherwise, because they clean themselves. The more you know.