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Yes
- Yes, these odd little creatures with pink, wrinkly skin dig and live in underground burrows the way moles do. Yes, they have skinny, rat-like tails.
animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/naked-mole-rat
People also ask
Do mole rats have rat tails?
Is a mole a rat?
Do mole rats have hair?
Do Naked mole rats huddle together?
Naked mole-rats are not completely hairless. They have sensory whiskers on their faces and on their tails, and they have hairs between their toes that allow their feet to function as brooms with which they sweep soil. Unlike most other mammals, they cannot maintain a steady body temperature.
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy, [6] 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. [7]
Yes, they have skinny, rat-like tails. Yet naked mole-rats are more closely related to porcupines, chinchillas, and guinea pigs than they are to moles or rats and are the only mole-rats that have practically no hair.
- Their teeth can operate independently. A naked mole-rat can move each of its front teeth separately, like a pair of chopsticks.
- Naked mole-rats don't drink water. That’s right. They get all the hydration they need from their plant-based diet! Mole-rats eat the underground parts of plants.
- At birth, a mole-rat pup weighs less than a penny! Naked mole-rats are one of the only true eusocial mammals, meaning they live in large colonies with just one breeding female, called the queen.
- A quarter of a mole-rat’s muscle mass is in its jaws. Naked mole-rats use their powerful jaws and very large incisors to dig through hard-packed soil.
Naked Mole-Rat Profile. The Naked Mole-Rat (Heteroephalus glaber) also known as the Sand Puppy, is a rodent that typically burrows. Despite the name, they are neither moles, or rats. They are more closely related to porcupines and guinea pigs.
- Burrows (in tropical grasslands & deserts)
- East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia)
- 25-32 Years
- 3-13 inches
Not a mole and not a rat, the naked mole-rat is one of the world’s most unusual rodents. This fascinating creature lives in East Africa’s deserts. They have pink, wrinkly skin and skinny, rat-like tails, and they dig and live in underground burrows the way moles do.
May 7, 2024 · The naked mole-rat is one of the only eusocial mammals. Extended family members live underground in a colony and have defined social roles. Similar to honey bees, only a female queen and 1 to 3 males breed.
