Many animals defend against predation by co-opting the chemical defenses of their food. Although this poison sequestration behaviour has been most studied in butterflies, similar behaviours occur in other insects, amphibians and even birds (Savitzky et al. 2012, Nishida 2014). Remarkably, although many mammals consume poisonous vegetation (Dearing et al. 2005), the defensive use of sequestered toxins is rare among mammals. The European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus coats its quills with noxious chemicals (Brodie 1977) and the Maned (or Crested) Rat Lophiomys imhausi anoints its fur with compounds from the Poison Arrow Tree Acokanthera schimperi (Kingdon et al. 2012).
Research on Lolldaiga Hills’ poisonous rodent-the Maned Rat - Lolldaiga Hills Ltd.
Research on Lolldaiga Hills’ poisonous rodent-the Maned Rat - Lolldaiga Hills Ltd.