Why Don't Scavengers Get Sick?
Thanks to Harry's for supporting this video. Use the coupon code MINUTEEARTH for $5 off your order! https://www.harrys.com/ Subscribe to see all our new videos! - http://www.youtube.com/user/min...
==========
When a creature croaks, its natural defenses fail and tiny decomposers start digging inwithin just five minutes. To deter bigger carnivores in search of a meal, some feastingmicrobes produce toxins like anthrax and botulinum, tiny doses of which are fatal to much of theanimal kingdom. Yet many scavengers get shoulder-deep in dead meat without seeming to suffer - andwe’re just beginning to understand how they do it.Quality control is one of their earliest lines of defense. Wolves and foxes have been knownto pass up diseased reindeer carcasses in favor of prey killed by other predators, althoughit’s not yet clear how they can tell the difference. And, despite their reputation,spotted hyenas prefer to dine on fresh meat, minimizing their contact with microbes.But ...
==========
When a creature croaks, its natural defenses fail and tiny decomposers start digging inwithin just five minutes. To deter bigger carnivores in search of a meal, some feastingmicrobes produce toxins like anthrax and botulinum, tiny doses of which are fatal to much of theanimal kingdom. Yet many scavengers get shoulder-deep in dead meat without seeming to suffer - andwe’re just beginning to understand how they do it.Quality control is one of their earliest lines of defense. Wolves and foxes have been knownto pass up diseased reindeer carcasses in favor of prey killed by other predators, althoughit’s not yet clear how they can tell the difference. And, despite their reputation,spotted hyenas prefer to dine on fresh meat, minimizing their contact with microbes.But ...
