A kangaroo rat nimbly escaped the jaws of a rattlesnake

Researchers from several US universities spent two years working on two studies capturing footage of kangaroo rats in the desert and watching them avoid rattlesnakes.  One video uploaded to the YouTube page shows a kangaroo rat successfully kicking a snake - which is then sent flying through the air and crashing feet away. The kicks solved a mystery that puzzled the team for years. They had even tested the blood for resistance to the snake venom.Kangaroo rats' highly sensitive hearing allows them to hear low-frequency sounds and detect sudden surprise attacks, necessary for avoiding predators.
They also have enlarged hindlimb muscles and thick tendons, allowing for the rapid vertical leaps and high accelerations. Kangaroo rats are faster than the snakes and have a typical reaction time of around 70 milliseconds, with some recording times of just 38 milliseconds.

Original Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetec...
Original Video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news...

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