RATTLEBACK - Flame-resistant

Wouldn’t it be handy to be fireproof? You could stroll through flames, and be the star of the barbecue party. The rattleback – a descendant of a modern-day South American rodent – is just that. It’s about the size of a small dog. But unlike a dog, it doesn’t have fur.

Present-day mammals have done all kinds of things with fur. The hairs on a porcupine are stiffened into sharp needles. The horn on a rhinoceros’s nose is made from a mass of hardened hair. And the plates on the back of a rattleback are made of hair hardened with minerals to form a kind of armour.

Fierce fire racing across the grasslands? No problem. The rattleback scrapes a dip in the ground, hunkers down in it and closes its eyes. (Its eyes are shielded by thick, hardened skin). Sharp quills along its sides anchor it to the earth. The rattleback holds its breath. Here comes the fire!

It’s toasty for a minute or two – but it’s worth it. When the fire has gone, the charred corpses of less fortunate animals litter the ground. If you don’t mind your dinner overdone – and the rattleback doesn’t – there are some tasty morsels to try. (A lot better than the roots and grasses the rattleback usually eats!)