African giant rat
dr. dolittle | October 26, 2015 Image of Cricetomys gambianus from Wikipedia.
In a newly published study from Physiological Reports, researchers were interested in learning more about the basic physiology of African giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus). According to the study, heart rate is one of several "physiological constants" that offer a clue into how an animal might interact with its environment as heart rate may be influenced by season and patterns of food consumption among other variables. This particular species of rat is of interest as they are often kept as exotic pets while others have been trained to detect…