The naked mole rat is an odd-looking creature that has adapted to a very specialized lifestyle. This mammal's long front teeth are perfect for digging-and that's what this creature does for most of its life. Colonies of naked mole rats work day and night to create an underground network of tunnels that they call home.
Mole Pattern Baldness: The naked mole rat's tunnels usually stay toasty, between 86-89°F. These creatures have adapted to the heat by shedding most of their hair-permanently.
Underground Life: The naked mole rat's eyes are useless, as it spends its entire life underground where there is no light. This creature comes to the surface only in an emergency, such as a flood in its tunnels.
Full-Time Dig Gig[]
The mole rat closes its mouth behind its teeth so it doesn't swallow dirt.
Workers in a mole rat colony spend their entire lives making underground tunnels, and they have the digging system down pat. The rat at the end of the new tunnel uses its large front teeth (incisors) to scrape dirt away from a wall, then kicks the loose soil backward. Other workers form a line going to the surface, and each one kicks the dirt in turn until it's completely out of the way. When one digger gets tired, another from the line takes its place at the front.
Warming Up: Up to 80 naked mole rats live in a colony. These mammals aren't very good at controlling their body temperature, so they huddle together in mass numbers when it gets cold.
Insect-Like: The social structure of naked mole rats is much like that of ants. One "queen" controls the breeding while the rest dig and gather food for the whole colony.
Rat Fight[]
When the queen of a naked mole rat colony dies, a dominant female steps up to take her place. This sometimes leads to power struggles between the females, and vicious fights break out. The two mole rats scratch and bite at each other's naked skin, and one may have to kill her rival in order to win the crown.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The image on the back of the knowledge card, with the naked mole rat digging, is also on the Wildlife Explorer card, albeit flipped.