Credit: Stephanie Higgins. Ashok Singh - November 25, 2020. It’s not for nutrition. Weinstein and her colleagues wanted to confirm that this unusual behavior seen in a single rat was, in fact, widespread in this species. The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs. A microscope view of the hairs of the African crested rat, showing the honeycomb-like structure that allows them to hold the poison. By. A poisonous rat that licks deadly toxins onto its own fur sounds like some kind of made-up nightmare species. Pinterest. The African crested rat gnaws on poisonous tree branches, then grooms its noxious spittle into its fur. But these rats turn out to be social, affectionate creatures. 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. A new study discovered an unexpectedly rich social life. 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. Twitter. The African crested rat is the only mammal known to sequester plant toxins for chemical defense. So that information has been sort of circulating around for a very long time," says Sara Weinstein, a researcher with the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Utah who has worked with colleagues in Kenya to trap and study the rats. 3 August 2011. ", The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs. 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 an opportunity, and African crested rats will take nibbles from the department of a poison arrow tree. The African crested rat - also known as the maned rat - is normally a rather unassuming and sluggish creature. It's felled more than a few hungry dogs over the years. An African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, chews the poisonous Acokanthera tree and applies it to its fur To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. The African crested rat's fuzzy fur has hairs loaded with a poison that can purportedly fell an elephant. When the animal is threatened, it flares its fur to expose black and white stripes on its flanks. hide caption. 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. To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. But these creatures are real, and scientists now say they are also unexpectedly affectionate—at least with their own kind. ", Ferguson says this rat has long been almost "mythical, in that it's eluded our understanding, and there's been speculation. 1. But these creatures are real, and scientists now say they are also unexpectedly affectionate—at least with their own kind. "As mammologists and biologists, and humans in general, we're obsessed with rare things. Instead, they will chew chunks of the plants and spit them back out into their fur, anointing themselves with a form of chemical armor that most likely protects them from predators like hyenas and wild dogs. “We put these two rats together in the enclosure and they started purring and grooming each other. African crested rats deter predators by borrowing poison bark Scientists have found the first example of a mammal that uses poison from … Kate Shaw Yoshida - Aug 9, 2011 12:00 pm UTC An undated photo provided by Stephanie Higgins shows an African crested rat. 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. The African crested rat is a rabbit-sized rodent that is the only known mammal to sequester plant toxins as a chemical defense. 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. Folks who live in East Africa have long known the African-crested rat is poisonous. In the Journal of Mammalogy, they say about half of them chewed on the tree branches and applied poison to their hair. To would-be predators, the African crested rat, Lophiomys imhausi, is trouble. A giant rodent known as the African crested rat is, despite its adorable appearance, deadly. The African crested rat was long thought to be solitary. Rat-shaped little cows. The crested rat actively transfers poison onto its fur in the form of cardiac glycosides. Lophiomys data is apparently precious to simians other than humans as well. For all their toxic toughness, though, the rats seem to enjoy surprisingly heartwarming private lives. The discovery thrilled mammologists. 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. 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. For their new paper, Dr. Weinstein and her team snared 25 rodents and filmed them in the lab. Give them a chance and African crested rats will take nibbles from the branch of a poison arrow tree. 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. Facebook. To find out if packing poison was common, the new research trapped 25 African crested rats to gather the largest sample size ever studied. By. But these rats turn out to be social, affectionate creatures. The African crested rat's fuzzy fur has hairs loaded with a poison that can purportedly fell an elephant. Twitter. It's felled more than a few hungry dogs over the years. 0. When ripe they are sweet but also slightly bitter. I call it the “skunk rat” because of its similar black-and-white striped pattern, because, like skunks, it moves slowly (especially for a rodent), and because, also like skunks, encounters with it are unpleasant. The African crested rat is the only mammal known to sequester plant toxins for chemical defense. Stephanie Higgins Neighboring African hunters use the same substance to make elephant-grade poison … WhatsApp. Microscopic image of the specialized hairs that the African crested rat anoints with poison from Acokanthera schimperi. For a rodent that resembles a … The bark, wood and roots of Acokanthera schimperi are used as an important ingredient of arrow poison in Africa. Now researchers believe the creatures may live in bonded pairs, and their young may stay with them for a long time. By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News . The maned rat or (African) crested rat (Lophiomys imhausi) is a nocturnal, long-haired and bushy-tailed East African rodent that superficially resembles a porcupine. But now we're finally trying to get at what really goes on with this rat.". But these creatures are real, and scientists now say they are also unexpectedly affectionate—at least with their own kind. Folks who live in East Africa have long known the African-crested rat is poisonous. “The monkeys, I think, were equally disappointed,” Dr. Weinstein said. A close-up view of the African crested rat’s poison anointed hairs. Instead, they will chew chunks of the plants and spit them back out into their fur, anointing themselves with a form of chemical armor that most likely protects them from predators like hyenas and wild dogs. The African crested rat was long thought to be solitary. Stephanie Higgins The research team eventually managed to trap and observe 25 rats. Still, he says, there are many unanswered questions that "scream for attention, most notably the precise chemistry and evolutionary history of crested rat saliva. The New York Times SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 For Poison Dart Frogs, Markings Matter When It Comes to Survival An experiment found that white-striped frogs were less effective at scaring off predators than frogs with yellow stripes. hide caption. Then they happened to trap a male and a female rat living in the same area. Sara Weinstein/Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. The African crested rat (Lophiomys imhausi) slathers its fur in a deadly toxin. Copy link. As if the idea of giant rats wasn’t freaky enough, a group of scientists have confirmed that the African crested rat, a rabbit-sized rodent, can lace its fur with poison … The experiment proved that the African crested rats are the only mammals immune to poison arrow tree toxins and strengthened the 2011 study with a larger data set. 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. The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs. In sharp contrast to most of their skittish rodent kin, Lophiomys imhausi lumber about with the languidness of porcupines. They're much thicker than normal hairs, says Weinstein, "and they've got this really interesting honeycomb structure. 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. For a rodent that resembles a child who loves skunk and steel wool brushes. 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. Neighboring African hunters use the same substance to make elephant-grade poison … 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. The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs. The ritual transforms the rats into the world’s only known toxic rodents, and ranks them among the few mammals that borrow poisons from plants. 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.". 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