Did you know there’s a rat poisonous enough to kill an elephant? Lophiomys imhausi, also known as the crested rat, the maned rat, and the African crested rat, is a deadly rarity says Aoife Glass. The crested rat is the only known poisonous rodent, and the only known mammal to sequester plant toxins for use as […]
Tag: rodents
Scientists who turned to OnlyFans to fund marmot research receive crypto boost
Scientists who turned to OnlyFans to help save long-running research into marmots have raised more than $100,000 after harnessing the support of another, very modern, funding avenue – cryptocurrency. The 60-year project of continuous study of marmots – stout, ground-dwelling rodents that are the largest members of the squirrel family – across the US west […]
Experts looked inside Cape Town’s largest predator. What they found has them worried
Most of Cape Town’s caracals have rat poison in their bodies. The discovery, reported in Environmental Pollution, raises concerns about the hidden effects of rodent control on wildlife, and calls for tighter regulation of these chemicals. Caracals are wild cats native to Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia, instantly recognisable by their long, tufted ears. The […]
It has relatively huge hinged fangs and can strike with astonishing speed, delivering a potentially dangerous dose of venom…
Rather than fleeing when danger approaches, this heavyweight and highly venomous viper often stays perfectly still, relying on its patterned skin to blend into its surroundings. Slow and normally sluggish until it has been disturbed, then its demeanour changes dramatically. Puff adders inflate their bodies and unleashes a loud warning hiss and, if necessary, can strike with astonishing […]
It barks like a dog and howls like a human – and is a silent, deadly hunter
The barking owl is a striking-looking hunter found in Australia’s woodlands. Compact, powerful and yellow-eyed, it spends the day roosting in foliage before emerging to hunt mammals, birds, reptiles and insects as the light fades. It is often heard before it is seen: alongside its dog-like bark, this owl can produce an eerie, wavering scream […]
These venomous lizards can grow as long as a car. In the breeding season, things get brutal
Were we to play the game ‘Word Association’, most of you would surely follow ‘sun’ with ‘moon’ and ‘cat’ with ‘dog’. If ‘Komodo’ was the first word chosen, it’s highly likely most of you would say ‘dragon’. This enormous reptile, which takes its name from the island that Westerners first documented it to be on, […]
What’s the world’s smallest cat? Meet the tiny felines barely larger than a ruler
Vying for first place in the smallest cat in the world category are the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) and black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), which are very close in size, measuring 35-48cm and 35-52cm in length respectively. The smallest cats in the world Each cat is the smallest species on its continent – the rusty-spotted cat […]
It looks like a wolf, acts like a wolf – but don’t be fooled this is no wolf…
Unlike the hapless Wile E. Coyote of Looney Tunes fame, the real-life version is an intelligent and highly successful animal. Once associated with North America’s prairies and deserts, the coyote now turns up almost everywhere, even city streets, thanks to its remarkable ability to thrive alongside people. Its appetite for rubbish and even pets can provoke a […]