Crested Rats Slather Themselves in Poison
A few animals have the same abilities as humans, who are known for applying inventiveness to complete tasks. There are many ways to accomplish a task—monkeys utilize tools, coyotes and badgers engage in cooperative hunting, etc. When it comes to defending oneself from predators, African crested rats go above and above by using chemical warfare.
The rodents have been seen gnawing on some trees' deadly bark. They create a nice mouthful of venomous spit and then wipe it on their fur to create a poisonous shield. There are other instances of this behavior in nature. This is the only mammal known to exhibit this behavior; other species of toxic toads obtain their toxins from the insects they consume.
Until one rat was seen eating the bark and smearing the poisons on itself, it was formerly believed that the rats made their own poison. The reason why the rat itself is immune is not fully understood, but when some were kidnapped and kept in cages under continual observation, several of them were seen acting in the same way. It might be because of their four-chambered stomachs' rich bacteria content, but there is no proof of this.
