African giant pouched rats have been trained to identify pangolin scales, elephant ivory and other items from at-risk species, researchers report October 30 in Frontiers in Conservation Science. The animals could soon play a part in deterring the international wildlife trade.

The creatures have an incredible sense of smell. Plus, they’re agile and relatively inexpensive to care for. Other APOPO-trained rats can sniff out landmines and detect tuberculosis in mucus samples.