Poisonous Rats Have A Secret, Softer Side To Their Personality - NPR

The African crested rat is the only mammal known to sequester lethal plant toxins.

The African crested rat is the only mammal known to sequester lethal plant toxins.

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.

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.

They're much thicker than normal hairs, says Weinstein, "and they've got this really interesting honeycomb structure.".

The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs.

The African crested rat sequesters poisons from Acokanthera schimperi into specialized hairs, shown here alongside typical hairs.

Then the animal coated its specialized hairs with the foul mixture.

"Basically, it's the only known mammal to date, at least that we know of, that co-opts toxins from a plant to make itself venomous," says Adam Ferguson, a mammal expert at the Field Museum in Chicago who says he's obsessed with these rats.

The African crested rat was long thought to be solitary.

The African crested rat was long thought to be solitary

Now researchers believe the creatures may live in bonded pairs, and their young may stay with them for a long time