Saber-toothed Rat?

Saber-tooth rats, made popular by Scrat from the Ice Age Series, are creatures not exactly identified as bona fide existing creatures, but the combination squirrel+rat+saber-toothed physique didn’t stop Scrat from being a worldwide sensation.

First debuting in the 2002 20th Century Fox released Ice Age, Scrat may not have played a central role in the franchise’s main bill of characters, but his hardy nature, being capable of surviving various threats, risks and dangers, along with is penchant for acorns, have made him a solid mainstay of the series.

As popular as the character is, a controversy revolving around its creation had been ongoing, involving cartoon designer Ivy Supersonic (real name, Ivy Silberstein) claiming to have been the first to churn out the character’s designs, sans his “saber-toothed” form.

Claiming to have actually witnessed a hybrid rat and squirrel sometime in 1999, Silberstein pitched the idea of a “Sqrat” to 20th Century Fox prior to the release of the 2002 Ice Age, only to find that Scrat came out in the movie, this time with his now-infamous saber-toothed design.

A court case followed after Fox Studios offered Silberstein a $300,000 settlement, a figure which Silberstein didn’t settle for, resulting to Silberstein loosing in court with the case currently on appeal.

As a creature, Scrat is pretty “straightforward”, combining the physical traits of a “mangy” rat and squirrel, with a bushy tail and wide, bug-like eyes. As a character, Scrat doesn’t exactly have any dialogue, but has his own share of silent-motion antics, with Scrat constantly chasing after the proverbial acorn.

As a creature creation, Scrat has somewhat become the mascot for the Ice Age series, with his funny antics and generally funny looks.

Not too shabby for a made-up saber-toothed rodent, wouldn’t you say?