Animal Survival Skills: Poison Edition

The video explores the gag reflex and vomiting in animals. It explains how humans use these reflexes to avoid choking and expel toxins. Horses and rats have unique adaptations due to their inability to vomit. Horses rely on diarrhea, while rats use pica behavior, consuming clay to bind toxins. Turkey vultures, capable of vomiting, use it as a defense mechanism, thanks to their highly acidic guts that neutralize harmful bacteria.

What is the primary function of the gag reflex in humans?

• To enhance taste

• To prevent choking

• To help with digestion

• To increase appetite

Why can't horses vomit?

• Their stomachs are too small

• Their intestines are too long

• Their esophageal sphincter is too strong

• They lack a gag reflex

How do rats attempt to detoxify themselves when they feel nauseous?

• By drinking water

• By sleeping

• By running

• By eating clay

What unique feature helps turkey vultures digest rotten meat?

• Their strong claws

• Their sharp beaks

• Their large wingspan

• Their acidic guts

How do turkey vultures use vomiting as a defense mechanism?

• By attracting predators

• By marking their territory

• By signaling other vultures

• By deterring threats with corrosive vomit