Unusually large rat found in Hunan  

湖南現10斤重“鼠王” 骨頭太硬砍壞兩把菜刀

(ECNS) -- The Environmental Protection Bureau in Central China's Hunan province said on Sunday that villagers in Shaoyang county had killed a 5.1-kilogram, 90-centimeter giant rat, according to voc.com.cn.

The rat was captured and beaten to death on Wednesday afternoon, after it stole fish out of a pond.

As giant rats had not been seen in the village before, some villagers guessed it was a "king rat", and some said its genes were mutated, caused by environment pollution.

Another speculation was that it's an alien species, for giant rats have been found in the United States.

The villagers turned the rat into food that very evening. Two knives broke while chopping through the rat's tough bones.