NAKED MOLE RAT (Heterocephalus glaber)
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Bathyergidae
Genus: Heterocephalus
Species: glaber
Not a mole, not a rat. The
forbidding environment of the East Africa’s deserts is home to one of the most
bizarre rodents, the naked mole-rat. These beautiful creatures wouldn’t win any
pageants but they are fascinating animals. Though these odd looking animals
live in undergoing burrows the way moles do, yet they are more closely related
to porcupines, chinchillas and guinea pigs than they are to moles or rats and
are the only species of mole rat that practically has no hair.
Why are they
naked? The desert regions can be pretty warm during the day, they live
underground and if it does get cold at night, the little mammals just huddle
together in a mole-rat pile and use each other’s body heat to keep warm. Since
they spend their lives underground, they don’t need hair for sun protection.
It’s Hard to see but naked mole-rats do have about 100 fine hairs on their body
that acts like whiskers to help them
feel what’s around them. Hairs between their toes help sweep soil behind them
while tunneling.
Most mole-rat species live by themselves but they
and the Damaraland mole at are the only two mammal species that are eusocial. This means they live in a
colony that may have several generations living together and just a few
individuals that produce all the offspring for the colony, much the way bees
and ants live. Scientists believe the naked mole-rats eusocial behavior is due
to the challenges of living underground in the desert, where there is little
food or water.
A naked mole-rat colony may have from 20 to 300
individuals in an underground area that can be as large as 6 football fields.
It’s usually like a tunnel system that stays at a warm temperature of 860F
(300 C) even though the outside temperature can get much colder or
warmer. To keep the colony healthy and safe, there are chambers, or rooms at
different points along the tunnel system.
Each chamber has a purpose just like the rooms in
your home. There is the nestling chamber, or nursery, where the queen (dominant
females) stay with the pups (babies), and feeding chambers used for collecting
and storing food- a mole-rat pantry. There is even a toilet chamber, where the
members go to the bathroom.
Most people think naked mole-rats are blind and
though their tiny eyes are not much use underground, they can still see a
little bit. They mostly rely on their senses of hearing, smell and touch more
than they do their sight. Researchers have studied them in both light and dark
environments and find their behavior doesn’t change.
Other interesting facts about the naked mole-rats
are that;
·
They are found where there are plants with large underground roots and
tubers. Their front teeth help them tunnel through these tough foods. They are
able to get enough moisture from their diet, so they don’t need to dig for
water as well.
·
They can move their front teeth independently, spreading them apart and
moving them together like a pair of chopsticks.
·
Yucky, but true: they eat their own poop (coprophagy). They also roll
in their feces to be able to identify their colony from an intruding colony by
rolling around in the toilet chambers. This way, everyone smells the same.
·
Their favorite food is bananas.
·
Fortunately, their populations are in no immediate danger because they
live in areas with little human development and are thus relatively
undisturbed. Those living in Kenya’s national park system are protected. Let’s
hope it stays that way for all the population of these fascinating little
creatures!
Compiled
and edited by Jemimah
Comments
Post a Comment