How are goats able to eat poisonous leaves like sumac, ivy and oak?
In: Biology
The chemical in that causes skin irritation in humans is called *urushiol*. The same chemical is present in poison ivy, sumac, and oak. It’s not actually a poison – it’s an oil that can bind to proteins on the outside of cells, and for that reason scientists suspect that it evolved as a protection against microbes, *not* against being eaten by larger animals.
In humans, it triggers an auto-immune response (it tricks your immune system into thinking the cells that have touched the oil aren’t yours), but not in other animals.
So, in short – goats, cats, dogs, birds, etc simply aren’t allergic to it.
The only reason I know this is because I got into a *serious* patch of poison ivy cleaning up after tropical storm Isaias last week, and I’ve been doing some reading while I scratch myself raw.
Poisons are just chemicals that hurts you. Usually, these chemicals are organic molecules that, once broken down, don’t have much effet. In order to break down an organic molecule, an animal can use some acid (like your the one in your stomach), enzymes or will uses some bacterias.
So goat just have the propers tools in their digestive system to break down what is toxic to us.
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