If you think rats and selfies are in competition for the grossest things on the planet, it's time for you to meet selfie rat.
A man named Don Richards told local news station Fox 61 was visiting New York City with a friend, and was at a Brooklyn subway station when the pair spotted a rat.
Richards said he took out his camera to record a video, capturing the creature as it crawled toward a man passed out on the floor of the subway station.
The rat then climbed on the man, as adorably disgusting as that may be.
Apparently, in its attempt to snuggle, the rat somehow triggered the photo feature on the man's phone, as he claimed it was the camera's flash that woke him up, FOX 61 reports.
Richards's video shows the man scrambling quickly, shaking the creature off of him. When the newly awakened man checked his phone, he saw the rat had gotten up close and personal in selfie mode. Richards said the man sent him a copy of the rat selfie, in exchange for video of the incident.
Selfie rat joins a line of recent New York City celebrity wildlife, including the infamous pizza rat and the admirable bagel pigeon.
Rodent-related grievances are on the rise in New York, according to Reuters, which reported rodent complaints were up to 24,375 as of late October with two months left in the year, compared to 20,545 in 2014 and 19,321 in 2013, which may also explain the proliferation of pests doing adorable things throughout the Big Apple.
The moral of this man's plight? Don't fall asleep on the subway platform. There are some things far worse than someone mugging you... like a rat mugging for your camera.
