Academician Answers 1000 Questions on Life Sciences - Academician Answers Young People's Questions

Author: Zhou Kun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: How Animals Treat Themselves
Animals also get sick. So, after getting sick, do they wait to die, or do they have some way to "treat" themselves? When a musk deer has diarrhea, it looks for the bark and young leaves of a certain tree to eat, helping to stop the diarrhea because the bark and leaves of this tree contain tannic acid, which has a laxative effect. When a cat suffers from gastroenteritis and persistent diarrhea, it frantically looks for ipecac root to eat. This is a bitter, toxic plant, and when cats eat it, they vomit repeatedly. A bioactive alkaloid in ipecac root has an emetic effect. Using vomiting to treat diarrhea has become an effective method for cats to treat gastroenteritis.
Wild boars eat pumpkin seeds with seeds to expel intestinal parasites. Pumpkin seeds have been an effective deworming medicine since ancient times. Chimpanzees in West Africa often search for the young leaves of a sunflower-related plant to swallow. The leaves of this plant are bitter and astringent, so why do chimpanzees eat them? Tests show that these leaves are rich in a black oily substance that is highly effective in expelling intestinal parasites, inhibiting viruses, and eliminating breast tumors. Local people also eat these leaves to expel parasites. This method has been popular in the area for several hundred years. It’s unclear whether humans learned this from chimpanzees or vice versa.
Eurasian blackbirds also use plants as insecticides. They choose leaves like carrot leaves, weave them into leaf decorations, and place them in their nests. Research shows that the plants chosen by blackbirds contain volatile compounds that, when placed in the nests, can inhibit the growth of blood-sucking parasites and reduce the likelihood of disease.
In the southern part of North America, the weather is unpredictable, with alternating sunshine and rain and fluctuating temperatures. Newly hatched turkeys are very susceptible to catching colds and getting sick. When a baby turkey catches a cold, the mother turkey looks for the leaves of the benzoin tree to feed it. After eating these leaves, the sick baby turkey quickly recovers.
Knowledge Link
A weak badger lies beside an ant hill and allows ants to bite it. This is the badger cleverly using formic acid secreted by ants during bites to treat rheumatism or parasitic diseases. In North America, gray bears often bathe in hot springs containing sulfur after aging, which can help relax muscles, improve blood circulation, and promote longevity.
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