Difference between revisions of "Naked Mole-Rat"
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Each burrow develops a distinct [[microclimate]] based on a host of conditions. The depth, slope, and soil compaction all contribute to this. The behavior of the colony itself also plays a role, as the population size and metabolic rate of the mole rats also affects the microclimate. The soil color determines how much heat from the sun is absorbed, and this is the main driver of temperature within a burrow. While mole rats are protected from the worst of the desert threats (climate extremes, predators, UV radiation), there are different problems that come with living perpetually underground. Food can be scarce, digging and maintaining these tunnels has a high energy cost, and gas exchange is impaired. Managing to survive despite these drawbacks classifies theses creatures as extremophiles.<ref name = "microbio"/> | Each burrow develops a distinct [[microclimate]] based on a host of conditions. The depth, slope, and soil compaction all contribute to this. The behavior of the colony itself also plays a role, as the population size and metabolic rate of the mole rats also affects the microclimate. The soil color determines how much heat from the sun is absorbed, and this is the main driver of temperature within a burrow. While mole rats are protected from the worst of the desert threats (climate extremes, predators, UV radiation), there are different problems that come with living perpetually underground. Food can be scarce, digging and maintaining these tunnels has a high energy cost, and gas exchange is impaired. Managing to survive despite these drawbacks classifies theses creatures as extremophiles.<ref name = "microbio"/> | ||
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| + | [[File:molerathabitat.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Mole Rat Burrow<ref name="burrow">Digging the Underground Life. Photograph. The-Scientist.com. Accessed April 21, 2023. https://www.the-scientist.com/infographics/digging-the-underground-life-40923. </ref>]] | ||
==Diet== | ==Diet== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
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Revision as of 21:50, 21 April 2023
Naked mole-rats are small, fossorial rodents found mainly in Kenya and the Horn of Africa. They live in long, complex burrows and rarely venture aboveground. Their ability to thrive in the harsh conditions of subterranean Africa classifies them as extremophiles, and they have developed a number of unique traits seldom seen elsewhere in the animal kingdom. These include reduced pain sensitivity, cancer immunity, and eusociality. [1]
| |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Bathyergidae |
| Genus | Heterocephalus |
| Species | Heterocephalus glaber |
Anatomy
Naked mole rats have very poor eyesight and hearing. Instead, these creatures rely mostly on their sense of touch to navigate their burrows and are especially sensitive to vibrations. True to their name, they lack fur on their bodies, which exposes their pale, wrinkled skin. However, they do have around 40 thin, whisker-like hairs on each side of their bodies that are sensitive to physical stimulation. The skin itself has also been shown to be immune to certain sources of pain. Their burrows usually have a very high carbon dioxide concentration, which in most creatures would cause pain due to tissue acidosis. The mole rat, however, is immune to this. [4]
Besides their "naked" bodies, the other most striking part of the creature's anatomy are its large incisors. The jaw makes up about 25% of the creature's musculature, and it uses this muscle for a variety of tasks. The incisors are the primary tool used for digging their complex subterranean network of burrows. Additionally, they use their teeth as a transportation mechanism for food, debris, and their young.
[4]
Habitat and Distribution
The naked mole rat spend almost their entire lives within complex networks of burrows underneath the grasslands of Eastern Africa. Specifically, they can be found around Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Aboveground, it is hot and arid, and there is very little rainfall. Despite this, the burrows have a relatively constant ambient temperature throughout the year. This is beneficial, as he mole rat is one of the few mammals that are poikilothermic and considerably varying internal temperatures. If some outside condition alters the temperature within the burrow, the mole rats are able to sense this and reorganize and/or expand their burrows to compensate. These burrows exist in varying degrees of complexity, but often contain multiple nests, waste chambers, food storage chambers, and escape routes. [4] The largest of these burrows can even reach over 3,000 meters in length. [6] These sprawling tunnels help with soil aeration where air from surface-level tunnels (with a higher oxygen concentration) is able to mix with the air in deeper parts of the soil, thus creating a "plunger effect". [1]
Each burrow develops a distinct microclimate based on a host of conditions. The depth, slope, and soil compaction all contribute to this. The behavior of the colony itself also plays a role, as the population size and metabolic rate of the mole rats also affects the microclimate. The soil color determines how much heat from the sun is absorbed, and this is the main driver of temperature within a burrow. While mole rats are protected from the worst of the desert threats (climate extremes, predators, UV radiation), there are different problems that come with living perpetually underground. Food can be scarce, digging and maintaining these tunnels has a high energy cost, and gas exchange is impaired. Managing to survive despite these drawbacks classifies theses creatures as extremophiles.[1]
Diet
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Holtze, Susanne, Stanton Braude, Alemayehu Lemma, Rosie Koch, Michaela Morhart, Karol Szafranski, Matthias Platzer, Fitsum Alemayehu, Frank Goeritz, and Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt. “The Microenvironment of Naked Mole‐rat Burrows in East Africa.” African journal of ecology 56, no. 2 (2018): 279–289.
- ↑ Sartore, Joel. A Naked Mole Rat Photographed at Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri. Photograph. National Geographic. St. Louis. Accessed April 21, 2023. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/naked-mole-rat.
- ↑ “Heterocephalus glaber.” itis.gov, n.d. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=584677#null.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Browe, Brigitte M., Emily N. Vice, and Thomas J. Park. “Naked Mole‐Rats: Blind, Naked, and Feeling No Pain.” Anatomical Record 303 (2020): 77–88.
- ↑ “Naked Mole Rat Range Map (Africa)” theanimalfiles.com, 2006. https://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/rodents/mole_rat_naked.html.
- ↑ Buffenstein, Rochelle, Vincent Amoroso, Blazej Andziak, Stanislav Avdieiev, Jorge Azpurua, Alison J. Barker, Nigel C. Bennett, et al. “The Naked Truth: a Comprehensive Clarification and Classification of Current ‘myths’ in Naked Mole‐rat Biology.” Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 97, no. 1 (2022): 115–140
- ↑ Digging the Underground Life. Photograph. The-Scientist.com. Accessed April 21, 2023. https://www.the-scientist.com/infographics/digging-the-underground-life-40923.