Birds also eat the fruit of many native plants that burn the throat of
humans - eg the base of the polydrupes of pandanas, the fruit of Smilax
australis, Ampellocissus sp. and a few others. A chemist once told me
that capsaicin was the 'hot' component in the former but I've no idea
what it is in the others.
They can also eat the fruit of Strychnos lucida with impunity (no, don't
you try it!).
I'm not so sure about mammals all being sensitive to capsaicin though.
I've owned more than one dog that liked my chili con carne!
Denise
Denise Goodfellow (Lawungkurr Maralngurra)
Follow these direct links to my work on the web:
Four Short Stories
http://www.2DocStock.com/shortstories/Index.html
Birds of Darwin Sketches
HYPERLINK http://www.2DocStock.com/BirdsDarwin/Index.html
http://www.2DocStock.com/BirdsDarwin/Index.html
Birding & Natural History in the Far North
http://www.earthfoot.org/places/au002.htm
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