Naked mole-rat
Burrowing eusocial rodent
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Key Takeaways
- The naked mole-rat ( Heterocephalus glaber ), also known as the sand puppy , is a burrowing rodent native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions.
- The closely related Damaraland mole-rat ( Fukomys damarensis ) is the only other known eusocial mammal.
- The animal is also remarkable for its longevity and resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation.
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions. It is closely related to the blesmols and is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus.
The naked mole-rat exhibits a highly unusual set of physiological and behavioural traits that allow it to thrive in a harsh underground environment, most notably its being the only mammalian thermoconformer with an almost entirely ectothermic (cold-blooded) form of body temperature regulation, as well as exhibiting eusociality, a complex social structure including a reproductive division of labour, separation of reproductive and non-reproductive castes, and cooperative care of young. The closely related Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) is the only other known eusocial mammal. Naked mole-rats lack pain sensitivity in their skin, and have very low metabolic and respiratory rates. The animal is also remarkable for its longevity and resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation.
While formerly considered to belong to the same family as other African mole-rats, Bathyergidae, more recent investigation places it in a separate family, Heterocephalidae.
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