Nara Park nettles grow poison thorns as defense against deer?

Nara Park nettles grow poison thorns as defense against deer?

NARA, Japan - Researchers at Nara Women's University believe that the wild nettles in Nara Park (bottom photo) have grown poison-tipped thorns probably as a defense mechanism against nettle-eating deer (top photo) in the park. According to a study conducted by a research group headed by Hiroaki Sato, a Nara Women's University associate professor who specializes in insect biology, nettles in Nara Park have 50 times more thorns that nettles found in southern Nara Prefecture and elsewhere. The researchers believe that, as a survival mechanism, Nara Park nettles developed more poison-tipped thorns after deer were brought from Ibaraki Prefecture to Nara Park about 1,200 years ago. (Kyodo)

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