Woodrats survive on toxic creosote plants by copying detox genes, producing more enzymes to break down plant toxins and avoid ...

The creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) is a medium-sized evergreen shrub. It has small pointed green leaves with a waxy coating. These leaves have adapted to conserve water and survive high ...

Woodrats (Neotoma spp.) are one of the only animals that can tolerate large quantities of creosote, a shrub with leaves coated in a chemical cocktail of poisonous resin. The critter's constitution has ...