African Crested Rat Can Poison Itself. A porcupine-like rat turns its quills into lethal weapons by coating them with a plant toxin, a new study says. A 2011 paper proposed these large rodents sequester toxins from the poison arrow tree (Acokanthera schimperi). (Like all other rodents, they are incapable of vomiting.). 0. The African crested rat is listed as IUCN species of least concern, but there’s little actual data on the animals. If it applies to these rats, “that could be very exciting.” But more research will be needed to confirm the rats’ familial fidelity, he said. It’s not for nutrition. To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. But its poison is not its own. "This thing is unique," notes Ferguson. To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. A poisonous rat that licks deadly toxins onto its own fur sounds like some kind of made-up nightmare species. Facebook. It’s not for nutrition. When offered cuttings of Acokanthera, some of the animals chomped on the bark then groomed it into their stripes. Facebook. Pinterest. In the Journal of Mammalogy, they say about half of them chewed on the tree branches and applied poison to their hair. For a rodent that resembles the love child of a skunk and a steel wool brush, the African crested rat carries itself with a surprising amount of swagger. In the chase that ensued, some of the packets of poop ripped open, scattering scat all about. A new study discovered an unexpectedly rich social life. The scientists watched as the rat chewed on the bark, mixing it with saliva. Credit: Sara B. Weinstein. (Those that survive their encounters tend to give the rats … For all their toxic toughness, though, the rats seem to enjoy surprisingly heartwarming private lives. It sure looked like two knew each other and wanted to be together. Stephanie Higgins “That’s not what they were hoping was in there.”, This Rat Covers Itself With Poison That Can Take Out an Elephant. Give them an opportunity, and African crested rats will take nibbles from the department of a poison arrow tree. Crested rats do not produce their own poison like the duck billed platypus, which has a poisonous spur on its hind foot, or Solenodon shrews which make poisonous saliva. To better understand the ecology of this unusual poisonous mammal, we used camera … hide caption. hide caption. A new study discovered an unexpectedly rich social life. (Those that survive their encounters tend to give the rats a wide berth.) Intriguingly, those flanks have rows of weird hairs. But now we're finally trying to get at what really goes on with this rat.". A giant rodent known as the African crested rat is, despite its adorable appearance, deadly. Folks who live in East Africa have long known the African-crested rat is poisonous. hide caption. "If a dog tried to attack them, the dogs would get sick and die. Neighboring African hunters use the same substance to make elephant-grade poison … First documented in the scientific literature in 1867, the rarely-glimpsed African crested rat “has captured so much interest for so long,” said Kwasi Wrensford, a behavioral ecologist at the University of California, Berkeley who wasn’t involved in the study. About sharing. These spongy hairs include a poison highly effective sufficient to deliver an elephant to its knees, and are central to Dr. Weinstein’s latest analysis, which confirmed concepts about how this rat makes itself so lethal. Biologist Sara Weinstein and her colleagues saw African crested rats in Kenya chewing poisonous tree bark, and combing the toxin into specialized hairs on their coats. Then they happened to trap a male and a female rat living in the same area. Abstract. But the new paper adds weight to an idea described nearly a decade ago, and offers an early glimpse into the animals’ social lives. It is the only known rodent species to do this, and one of the very few mammals that use poison found in plants for defensive purposes. After a childhood spent growing up in East Africa, Kingdon was familiar enough with these creatures to be able to describe them in the 1974 opus he wrote on African mammals. Lophiomys data is apparently precious to simians other than humans as well. The African crested rat (Lophiomys imhaus i) is hardly the continent’s most fearsome-looking creature—the rabbit-sized rodent resembles a gray puffball crossed with a skunk—yet its fur is packed with a poison so lethal it can fell an elephant, and just a few milligrams can kill a human. When the animal is threatened, it flares its fur to expose black and white stripes on its flanks. The African crested rat may look adorable, but its fur is packed with enough poison to fell an elephant and just a few milligrams can kill a human. A microscope view of the hairs of the African crested rat, showing the honeycomb-like structure that allows them to hold the poison. The African crested rat gnaws on poisonous tree branches, then grooms its noxious spittle into its fur. They dwell in forested areas on the eastern side of the continent, and people there have long known … But its poison is not its own. Abstract. The African crested rat (Lophiomys imhausi) is hardly the continent’s most fearsome-looking creature—the rabbit-sized rodent resembles a gray puffball crossed with a skunk—yet its fur is packed with a poison so lethal it can fell an elephant and just a few milligrams can kill a human. The crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is the only mammal known to sequester plant toxins.Found in eastern Africa, this large rodent is thought to defend against predation by coating specialized hairs along its sides with cardenolide toxins from the poison arrow tree, Acokanthera schimperi. To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. They dwell in forested areas on the eastern side of the continent, and people there have long known to steer clear of these elusive black and white rodents. (Image: The University of Utah) Looking like a cross between a ferret, a skunk, and a porcupine, the African crested rat … Pinterest. After reviewing almost 1,000 hours of … The rodents chew on the bark and leaves of the highly toxic poison arrow tree (Acokanthera schimperi) before transferring a mixture of toxins and saliva specifically to the lateral lines of fur on their flanks. Give them a chance and African crested rats will take nibbles from the branch of a poison arrow tree. The African crested rat is the only mammal known to sequester lethal plant toxins. It’s not for nutrition. The crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is the only mammal known to sequester plant toxins.Found in eastern Africa, this large rodent is thought to defend against predation by coating specialized hairs along its sides with cardenolide toxins from the poison arrow tree, Acokanthera schimperi. The African crested rat (Lophiomys imhausi) slathers its fur in a deadly toxin. For a rodent that resembles a … "This latest paper is a very nice piece of work," says Jonathan Kingdon, a zoologist at the University of Oxford who led the team that first observed a rat chewing bark and applying poison. Now researchers believe the creatures may live in bonded pairs, and their young may stay with them for a long time. In 2011, a team of researchers described the heart-stopping toxins that the rats milked from Acokanthera schimperi, a tree traditionally harvested by hunters who would use its juices to lace their arrows. Photo by Sara B. Weinstein. A giant rodent known as the African crested rat is, despite its adorable appearance, deadly. In sharp contrast to most of their skittish rodent kin, Lophiomys imhausi lumber about with the languidness of porcupines. To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. An African crested rat is a rabbit-sized rodent that is the only known mammal to sequester plant toxins as a chemical defense Credit: Stephanie Higgins People in East Africa have long suspected the rat to be poisonous. The African crested rat is a rabbit-sized rodent that is the only known mammal to sequester plant toxins as a chemical defense. 1. Those spongy hairs contain a poison powerful enough to bring an elephant to its knees, and are central to Dr. Weinstein’s recent research, which confirmed ideas about how this rat makes itself so deadly. But these rats turn out to be social, affectionate creatures. Share. (It’s also called the “maned rat”.) The African crested rat's fuzzy fur has hairs loaded with a poison that can purportedly fell an elephant. 3 August 2011. They dwell in forested areas on the eastern side of the continent, and people there have long known to steer clear of these elusive black and white rodents. The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs. The African crested rat was long thought to be solitary. A porcupine-like rat turns its quills into lethal weapons by coating them with a plant toxin, a new study says. “If a dog tried to attack them, the dogs would get sick and die. The rats “very much have the personality of something that knows it’s poisonous,” says Sara Weinstein, a biologist at the University of Utah and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who studies them. It's felled more than a few hungry dogs over the years. But only one crested rat, held in captivity, was observed engaging in these slathering shenanigans in the 2011 paper, raising the possibility that the behavior had been a fluke. ", Ferguson says this rat has long been almost "mythical, in that it's eluded our understanding, and there's been speculation. Stephanie Higgins The rodents chew on the bark and leaves of the highly toxic poison arrow tree (Acokanthera schimperi) before transferring a mixture of toxins and saliva specifically to the lateral lines of fur on their flanks. They're much thicker than normal hairs, says Weinstein, "and they've got this really interesting honeycomb structure. The behavior truly seemed to have no negative effect on the animals, which remained perfectly active and healthy inside their enclosures, she says, noting that "if I was to go out there and start chewing on this tree, I would get incredibly sick and probably die.". Still, he says, there are many unanswered questions that "scream for attention, most notably the precise chemistry and evolutionary history of crested rat saliva. “We’re now just starting to unpack what makes this animal tick.”. close. The world's only poisonous rodent, the maned rat borrows toxins from plants to fend off predators. Published. The African crested rat (Lophiomys imhaus i) is hardly the continent’s most fearsome-looking creature—the rabbit-sized rodent resembles a gray puffball crossed with a skunk—yet its fur is packed with a poison so lethal it can fell an elephant, and just a few milligrams can kill a human. 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