Naked Mole Rat

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The Naked Mole Rat The naked mole rat is a burrowing rodent. It is neither a mole or a rat,it is a member of the order Rodentia and is related to porcupines, guinea pigs, rats, mice, squirrels, and chinchillas. The naked mole rat is one species of five mole rats including Dune, Common, Cape and Silvery. The naked mole rat is a mammal. It is a species of the mole rat whose scientific name is Heterocephalus Glaber. The naked mole rat is also referred to as the desert mole rat or sand puppy. The naked mole rat’s head and body length is up to three and a half inches total with a tail up to three inches long and weighs one to three ounces. Their skin is a loose, wrinkled purple skin. They have round discs of skin for ears, they have tiny eyes, and are nearly blind. They have very little hair: just a few hairs on their feet and some whiskers and little hairs in their mouth to keep them from inhaling dirt. Naked mole rats can move their front teeth independently either spreading them apart or moving them together like chopsticks. Twenty-five percent of their musculature is in their jaws. Their powerful teeth extend outside their lips. Naked mole rat lips can close behind their teeth, preventing dirt from entering the mouth. Naked mole rats can run just as fast backwards as they can forward. Naked mole rats are unable to maintain their body temperature, so they will huddle together to keep warm or lay in tunnels near the surface. Naked mole rats live in colonies led by a dominant rat which is the queen. The queen is not born a queen she is a female who has fought her way to the top. If the queen dies another female takes over. The queen actually grows in length by increasing the space between the vertebrae of her backbone. She is larger, her nipples are visible, and her spine is curved so she can accommodate all those fetal pups. The naked mole rats queen
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