Naked Mole-Rat

The naked mole-rat is a small, burrowing rodent native to the arid grasslands and semi-desert regions of East Africa, best known for being one of only two known eusocial mammals, living in large underground colonies organized around a single breeding queen much as a colony of ants or termites is. It has thick, wrinkled, nearly hairless pink skin, tiny eyes with very poor eyesight, and large protruding incisors used to dig extensive tunnel systems, sometimes stretching several kilometres, in search of the underground tubers that make up its diet. Naked mole-rats are remarkably long-lived for a rodent their size, with individuals surviving over three decades in captivity, and they show unusual resistance to cancer, making them a significant subject of biomedical and aging research. They are also nearly cold-blooded compared to most mammals, with a body temperature that shifts with their surroundings, and can survive extended periods with very low oxygen levels by switching to a fructose-based metabolism more typical of plants. Colonies can number from a few dozen to over two hundred individuals, with only the queen and a small number of males reproducing while the rest serve as workers and soldiers.