NOBODY LOVES A DIRTY RAT, RIGHT? BUT what about an African giant pouched rat, a Goliath-sized rodent weighing 1.5-2kg (three to four times the size of our own brown rat) and native to the savannahs of southern Africa?
Over the past 25 years, these giant rats - known as 'hero rats' by the people who train them - have been used to detect deadly landmines and tuberculosis pathogens in medical samples.
Now, there's even more reason to love these rodents - they could play an important role in fighting the illegal wildlife trade, thanks to their amazing sense of smell.
Denne historien er fra January 2025-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
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Denne historien er fra January 2025-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SNAP-CHAT
Justin Gilligan on giant spider crabs and holding hands with an octopus
STEPPE CHANGE
Herds of saiga have returned to Kazakhstan, but there's a fine balance to tread
TREES FOR LIFE
Community is at the heart of conservation in the tropical forests of southern Belize
WHEN DOVES CRY
Turtle doves are now the UK's fastest declining bird species, but the RSPB is on a mission to save them
SURVIVAL OF THE CUTEST
We can't help being drawn to cute creatures, but our aesthetic preferences both help and hinder conservation
LIGHT ON THE NORTH
Spectacular images of Arctic foxes, reindeer and musk oxen reveal the wild beauty and diversity of Scandinavia
ROLLING IN THE DEEP
The super-sized crustacean that lives in the deepest, darkest ocean
LET'S GET TOGETHER
Clay licks deep in the Amazon explode in a riot of colour, with macaws the stars of the show
FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
To sponge or not to sponge? That is the question for the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) living in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
7 nature encounters for the month ahead
WITH NATURALIST AND AUTHOR BEN HOARE
