Joke: The scaly beast

A rabbi and a guy are traveling together. The guy says to the rabbi, "I have a question to ask you. Why does everyone think Jews are smarter than Gentiles?"

The rabbi, who is not up for an argument, says, "I'm sorry, but I am just a simple rabbi! I'm not qualified to participate in such a discussion."

The guy insists. "I have a theory and I need to test it. Here is my proposal: I'll pay you $100 if you can ask me a question that I can't answer. But if I can ask you a question that you can't answer, you must pay me $100."

The rabbi replies, "But I'm just a poor rabbi! I only have $10 on me."

The guy hesitates, then says, "OK, it's my $100 against your $10." The rabbi finally agrees, stipulating only that he be permitted to ask the first question. The guy agrees.

"OK," says the rabbi, "What animal has scaly skin, the body of a cat, the face of a squirrel, the ears of a mouse, webbed toes, and swims under water?"

Surprised, the guy admits that he doesn't know. He asks the rabbi for a few more minutes to think about it. The rabbi agrees. Two minutes later, the guy takes $100 from his wallet and gives it to the rabbi.

The guy then asks the rabbi, "So what animal was it?"

The rabbi replies, "How should I know?" and gives the guy $10.