Justin C. -- There is one mammal that is very unique from others. It is the only mammal other then humans to use poison that they did not make themselves. This mammal is the African Crested rat. It uses the poison from the bark of Acokanthera tree; it does this for self defense against predators. The rat firsts chews some of the bark then mixes it with its saliva and puts it on its fur. The rat’s fur is extremely absorbent; its fur has very tiny holes that absorb the poison.
I found this was a very interesting article. The fact that a animal such as a rat can be smart enough to use a trees poison for defense. I think that this article really showed that animals are not as dumb as people portray them as. The strengths of this article were the good facts on the African Crested Rat. The weaknesses were the repetition of some of the facts. I think the rats fur is one of the most interesting adaption’s I have read or heard about.
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