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  • Under cover of darkness, the world is a safer place for a kangaroo rat.

  • It's mostly hidden from predators, while it searches for seeds - its main source of

  • food and water in this harsh California desert.

  • But it's not totally safe

  • Ok, let's slow that down.

  • Like some kind of furry, spring-loaded ninja, the kangaroo rat dodges those venomous fangs.

  • And it didn't just get lucky.

  • These rats do this again

  • And again

  • We can see it thanks to night-vision cameras, but it's really dark out.

  • So how does a kangaroo rat escape almost certain death?

  • Scientists think they can hear the slightest change in air pressure - caused by a snake

  • lunging or the flutter of an owl wing.

  • Its hearing is ninety times more sensitive than ours.

  • That hyper-sensitivity is mostly thanks to these giant hollow spaces in its skull - known

  • astympanic bullae.”

  • They act as natural amplifiers - kind of like how a small sound echoes in a large cave.

  • When it senses danger, the rat kicks into action, propelled by its powerful hind legs.

  • Thick tendons and large muscles mean a super-fast reaction time.

  • And their legs are huge in proportion to their body size.

  • That's how they blast off like that.

  • See how its tail is whipping around?

  • That helps the rat twist out of the rattlesnake's jaws, stabilize, and land on its feet.

  • Even when it looks like the snake has a bullseye, the rat uses those powerful legs to kick free,

  • before the snake can inject its lethal dose of venom.

  • This all happens in a matter of milliseconds, faster than the blink of an eye.

  • Sometimes, the rats do lose this battle, but in one study, researchers found that three

  • quarters of the time, they survive the snake attacks and make it back to their burrows,

  • safe and sound.

  • And sometimes, the best defense is a good offense.

  • Ok, now you're just showing off.

  • So kangaroo rats aren't the only warrior rodents in the desert.

  • The southern grasshopper mouse has a taste for scorpions - sting and all.

  • And we've got more rattlesnakes.

  • How does that rattle actually work?

  • And lastly, if you're a Deep Look super fan, why not join hundreds of others on Patreon

  • for special behind-the-scenes content, early access to episodes, and more.

  • Link is in the description.

  • Thanks.

Under cover of darkness, the world is a safer place for a kangaroo rat.

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