Any animal that can make itself immune to nearly any snakebite has my respect! He may be ugly, but if we all had his immune system, we would be much better off, I'm thinking! Wonder if this ability would work against Zombies?
Self-immunizing Opossum
The most well-known defensive trait of the common North American opossum is its overwhelming instinct to simply fake death when confronted with danger. This is called Thanatosis, and while somewhat effective against predators other than cars, it just sometimes isn’t enough. That is why opossums were also created with a protein called LTNF (Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor) that all but makes them immune to the venom of snakes, bees, and scorpions. The way this works is just as it sounds: Once venom is detected within the opossum’s body by the protein, it actively seeks it out and sets to work neutralizing it. Amazingly, the marsupial is not only granted immunity to local snakes, but also to snakes on other continents with which it has never had contact.
Interesting note: The LTNF protein has been injected into rats, and has apparently been successful in granting the rodents immunity to otherwise lethal venoms.
Ugly or not, this little guy might have some enduring qualities we could share. Hey...just saying!
Let's have our coffee on the patio this morning. My cat has gas, and the fresh air is necessary, if you get my drift!
