There are some of the coolest, craziest, and unique wildlife in Africa. From majestic lions to large juicy grubs, the animals are extremely diverse. However one of the most interesting creatures living there is the naked mole rat. Although they aren't your cute and cuddly furry friends, but rather wrinkly, gnarly teethed, and underground rodents, they are one of the coolest creatures to study or read about.
1. one of the most interesting thing about these guys are that they are one of two mammals that show eusocial behavior. This means that they have a hierarchy within their colony. The highest position is the queen rat. She is the only one that gets to reproduce out of all the females in the colony, and if another female start to show interest in mating she will beat them to suppress the hormones. The Queen gets to mate with a select few males, all the rest fall into the other categories of worker or soldier. The workers are the tunnel builders and food scavengers as whereas the soldiers are on the look out for intruders or predators.
2. These colonies can become quite large. If they have the correct amount of resources and space their population can soar up to 200 to 300 individuals in the colony. With their tunnels expanding up to about six football fields in length.
3. Within these tunnels, they can have a few dozen different rooms, where each room has its purpose. Many of the rooms will be dedicated to raising the queen's children. Other rooms are used for feeding, nesting, and to remove waste.
4. Their name says that they are naked, but that isn't completely true. They have several thin hairs that come off of their bodies that help them navigate the dark tunnels underground. Which is very useful because they do have really poor eyesight.
5. The number one most interesting this about the Naked Mole Rat is that no scientist has ever found cancerous cells within them. They seem to be very resistant to cancer and other diseases, which helps them have the longest life span among rodents. They can live to an astounding 30 years.
There are far more reasons that these creatures are amazing and should be studied more. Look past their almost naked exterior and look into their soft and wrinkly hearts. Even though they aren't the creatures they seem like in Kim possible and I don't advise keeping one in your pocket. But pick up a book, or visit your local zoo and study these great creatures.
