Pack rats live in the American Southwest, where they nosh on the native vegetation.

生活在美国西南部林鼠以原生植物为食。

Pack rats have large cheek pouches, where they store food and other things. These pouches can fill up fast!

驮鼠有硕大的腮囊，它们把食物和其他东西储存在那儿，腮囊很快就会被塞满！

But pack rats seem to eat these noxious shrubs with impunity.

而林鼠似乎吃下这些有毒物质后身体并没有出现问题。

In the human world, pack rats are people who keep things that they do not need.

在人类世界里，驮鼠指那些保存不需要东西的人。

The researchers found that pack rats from the Mojave harbor gut bacteria that can break down creosote.

研究人员发现莫哈韦港口的林鼠所收集的肠道细菌可以分解木榴油。

Further, the researchers found that they could take pack rats from the Great Basin—the ones that eat juniper—and give them the ability to eat creosote.

此外，研究人员还发现他们可以将大盆地沙漠中进食杜松的林鼠带到莫哈韦沙漠，赋予它们消化木榴油的能力。