3 ms·

This would have evolved in our rodent ancestors. They would have nibbled a bit of anything they came across that seemed like it might possibly be food. Oddly,

• nkurz 5y ago
  > Oddly, I gather rats cannot barf, which is why coumarin works as rat killer. I think your recollection is off by a little. Coumarin is an anticoagulant and damages rats' livers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin You might be thinking of corn gluten meal, which kills rats by preventing them from absorbing water? It's sold as RatX: https://www.ecoclearproducts.com/pages/ratx-faqs https://www.ecoclearproducts.com/pages/ratx-faqs