Video shows rat appearing to take a shower, but it's not what it seems
A seemingly hygiene-conscious rat has been filmed appearing to lather up with soap and wash itself like a human in a shower.
The bizarre footage filmed in the bathroom of DJ Jose Correa's Peru home shows the rat standing up on its hind legs in a bathroom sink and appearing to washing its armpits using soapy water.
The rodent appears to be in his element, rubbing the soap between his paws and over his body to maintain his personal hygiene.
Mr Correa said he was about to take a shower when he spotted the unusual sight on Saturday morning.
“It went on for about 30 seconds, and then he ran off. I think he just wanted to give himself a good clean,” he said.
“I care a lot about animals so I wanted to protect his privacy. I would never want to hurt him. So I just filmed him and let him go.”
The clip has whipped the internet into a frenzy, racking up 37 million views in just two days and a litany of comments from across the planet.
But an expert in urban rat biology has warned all is not what it seems.
“The movements are pretty strange," Researcher Tuomas Aivelo told Gizmodo.
"A rat wouldn't do that unless there's something it really wants to get rid of.
"I think it's soapy all over, that's probably a problem for the rat. It just wants to get rid of the soap."
