For a furry pipsqueak in the deserts outside of Yuma, Arizona, finding dinner means tiptoeing through a minefield of spring-loaded death.

Sidewinder rattlesnakes sit in the sands, still as stone—just waiting for one of their favorite prey, the kangaroo rat, to wander too close.

But according to a pair of new studies, kangaroo rats are not as helpless as we thought. Indeed, a series of slow-motion videos have revealed that the rodents can detect their predators’ strikes within fractions of a second, leaping out of harm’s way with their powerful hind legs.

And sometimes, even when a snake’s attack hits its mark, kangaroo rats can karate-kick the serpent away before it can inject any venom—a feat all the more miraculous when