African Rat Smears Poison On Its Fur to Protect Itself From Predators
African Crested Rat Susan Rouse/via Science DailyThe first mammal (except for humans) known to do such a thing We love seeing animals using tools, from dolphins using sponges to scrape the seafloor, to octopus that use coconut shells for protection. But animals using poison to their own advantage is another thing entirely. They're learning all our tricks! The African crested rat is the only known mammal to use a lethal plant toxin for its own defense, according to researchers in England, the US and Kenya. It chews up the bark of the Acokanthera tree, the same tree East African hunters use to make poison darts, and rubs the saliva on its flanks. Researchers thought the rat itself was poisonous, because it displays a black and white coloration on its flanks (much like a skunk) when it's threatened by a predator. Also, scientists have reported accounts of dogs getting sick and dying...