Solo Spitting Mouse (IMAGE) University of Utah Caption A spiny mouse from Israel is shown spitting seeds from the desert shrub Ochradenus baccatus into its paws and onto the ground as it eats the berries. If the seeds are chewed simultaneously with the berry pulp, toxic chemicals are released. So the plant has made a normally seed-eating mouse become a seed-spitter that spreads the plant's seeds, helping it reproduce, says a new study from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, University of Utah, University of Haifa and University of Wisconsin, Madison. Credit Michal Samuni-Blank, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.