12 Naked Mole Rat Facts That Will Amaze You, Did you know?

12 Naked Mole Rat Facts

With these 12 naked mole rat facts, I introduce you to (Heterocephalus glaber) also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat native to parts of East Africa. This is an unusual animal with a unique set of physical traits that enable it to thrive in an otherwise harsh underground environment.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  The language in this video is somewhat adult content and may be offensive to some.  Viewer discretion advised.

12 Naked Mole Rat Facts That Will Amaze You

Did you know?

1.  Even though they are called naked ‘mole’ rats, they are not moles.  Nor are they rats, actually.  They are more closely related to porcupines and guinea pigs.

2.  They are naked, however, except for a few scraggly hairs and whiskers for feeling its way around underground.

Naked Mole Rat 3
Naked Mole Rat

3.  The naked mole rat is the only mammal whose body temperature changes according to the external temperature.

4.  The mole rat does not feel pain on its skin. The wrinkled skin is yellow or pink.

5.  The mole rat has large buck teeth that are designed for digging.  It has an interesting ability to move its incisor teeth independently of each other.

6.  The mole rat is only one of two mammal species that are eusocial, meaning that they live in a hierarchy society.  Similar to ants, wasps, bees and termites, there is a queen mole rat, soldiers and workers.

7.  Only one female reproduces, along with the help of one to three males. The queen has had to fight her way to the top, and the worker mole rats are sterile, tending to the burrow, gathering food and defending the group from intruders.

12 Naked Mole Rat Facts, Did you know?

8.  Naked mole rats live almost their entire lives in darkness underground.  As a result, the naked mole rat’s eyes are quite small, with very little sight.

9.  A colony of naked mole rats can consist of 20 to 300 individuals. Their underground territory can be as large as 6 football fields.

10.  The burrow has individual chambers that serve different purposes, such as nesting, raising young, eating and, waste disposal.

11.  The naked mole rats are the longest-lived rodents, with a lifespan of up to 30 years.

12.  Naked mole rats appear to be resistant to cancer.

12 Naked Mole Rat Facts, Did you know?

12 Naked Mole Rat Facts That Will Amaze You

Video Source:  zefrank1

Photo Credits:  [1] [2] [3]

Data Sources:  Smithsonian Mag and Wikipedia

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I hope you have enjoyed “12 Naked Mole Rat Facts That Will Amaze You

You might also enjoy, Cool Facts About the Pangolin, Is it a reptile? No. What then?

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21 thoughts on “12 Naked Mole Rat Facts That Will Amaze You, Did you know?”

  1. OK, besides having faces that only their mama’s could love, those are some fascinating mammals. Most intriguing to me is that they regulate like reptiles and they feel no external pain stimuli. They must not ever be at risk of injuring themselves in their tunnels. Wild stuff!

    Reply
    • Yes, I agree! Wild stuff indeed. Isn’t nature wonderful? I really appreciate you taking the time to visit my blog today, Elizabeth. I enjoy sharing my discoveries with fellow animal lovers. Take care, and come back soon, okay?

      Reply
    • I’m glad you found the post interesting, Christina! I love learning new things about odd critters, and especially love sharing what I’ve discovered! Thanks so much for check it out and leaving a comment too! I appreciate you!

      Reply
  2. Very fascinating creature! I didn’t know most of those things about naked mole rats. It’s very cool that it is resistant to cancer. I wonder if there is a lot of research being done on them because of that fact.

    Reply
    • I would imagine that research is being done on these fascinating creatures regarding the cancer resistance. They’re pretty amazing, aren’t they? It takes all kinds …! Thanks for checking out my post and leaving a comment too. Take care!

      Reply
  3. What intriguing animals. I had no idea these even existed before now. Thank you for sharing them with us all. 🙂

    Reply

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