Don't Stop Conceiving Trivia Quiz

Answer: They thermoregulate like reptiles

Luckily the naked mole rat lives in an environment with constant warmth and humidity (28-32ºC), so their body temperature doesn't vary greatly.

During sleep or rest the entire colony snuggles together in underground nest chambers to help slow heat loss. When temperatures get cooler, naked mole rats soak up heat in tunnels closer to the ground's surface. The warmed individuals will then travel back to the nest to huddle with their colony mates, transferring heat in the process. The large surface area of their loose and wrinkled skin helps them to dissipate heat when they get too hot.

Answer: They have more efficient hemoglobin and a much lower metabolic rate

Naked mole rats have high oxygen affinity hemoglobin that extracts as much oxygen as possible from the atmosphere. In addition, they have a high acid buffering capacity in their blood to neutralize the formation of carbonic acid from carbon dioxide.

The naked mole rat has a metabolic rate less than half that of a typical rodent. Their low metabolism lessens their need for oxygen and is also thought to prevent them from overheating while digging burrows.

Answer: Toilet chambers

The toilet chamber is located in a dead-end burrow near the nest (the particular nest in use will change depending on where the source of food is). When the chamber becomes full a new one is created.

The toilet chamber is also used to retain the scent of the colony. Members will roll in it to achieve a recognizable odor; this will distinguish themselves from other intruding colonies.

Answer: They line up nose to tail and operate like a conveyor belt, sweeping the dirt behind them

Naked mole rats dig the majority of new burrows during or right after the rainy season in Eastern Africa (October-December and March-May).

Efficient burrowing, conveyor belt style:

The digger mole rat uses its teeth and jaws like a shovel and collects a pile of loose soil. It uses its forepaws to pass the dirt under its body where it then kicks the dirt backwards with its hind feet.

The next mole rat in line scuttles backwards in the tunnel and uses its hind feet to sweep the dirt behind it. The following line of mole rats let the sweeper pass underneath them. The sweeper stops near the opening of the tunnel where it kicks the pile of dirt to a large mole rat called the "volcanoer".

The volcanoer kicks the soil out of the hole, creating a mound that looks like a volcano.

The sweeper tip-toes back to the front of the line for more dirt, straddling itself above the other sweepers who are working below.

Answer: Roots and tubers

The naked mole rat's diet consists of roots and tubers, some of which grow to the size of a soccer ball. They eat out the inner portion of the tuber and leave the outer skin intact. In doing so, the plant will regenerate and provide them with a dependable source of food.

In order to maximize their nutrient intake they also practice coprophagy. Naked mole rats don't drink, but receive all the moisture they need from their food.

Answer: Eusocial

Naked mole rats are eusocial animals that live in colonies led by a queen. Colonies range in size from 20 to 300 members (the average being about 75). The queen breeds selectively with only 1-3 males and is the only colony member to bear offspring.

The hierarchy consists of the queen, followed by the male breeders. Beneath the breeders are the soldiers (both male and female) who guard the burrow and fight intruders. Lastly are the smallest members, the workers. They, along with the breeders, take care of the pups. They also gather food, dig new tunnels and maintain the older burrows.

At two months of age young mole rats begin their duty as workers. As they grow they may stay workers, become soldiers, or may eventually become breeders.

Answer: Through aggressive bullying tactics

The leader of the colony is the queen of mean, using brute force to rule over the other members. She patrols the burrow and shoves the workers and soldiers into action whenever something needs to be done.

Unlike eusocial insect colonies, all members of naked mole rat colonies are capable of reproducing. However, the queen will use prolonged nose-to-nose shoving to intimidate the other members. This bullying tactic is thought to stress them into temporary sterility by inhibiting hormone release.

Answer: She's able to increase the space between her vertebrae

No other mammal is able to increase in length after reaching maturity. Once a new queen is established in the colony, she is able to increase the space between her vertebrae and become up to one-third longer than her colony mates. This will prepare her for bearing large litters of pups while still enabling her to fit through tunnels.

Queens can bear up to 4 or 5 litters per year, each containing anywhere from 10 to 27 pups. Gestation is about 70 days. The pups are nursed for a month and then eat cecotrophs (waste produced by older colony members) until they are able to eat regular food.

When the queen dies the largest females of the colony will battle to replace her.

Answer: Snakes

The rufous-beaked snake (their main predator) is actually attracted to the smell of newly dug soil, and will slither into tunnel openings looking for something to eat. Soldier mole rats will attack them with their teeth, and, in some cases, sacrifice themselves in order to keep the rest of the colony safe.

When not actively digging, naked mole rats will plug the entrance holes with dirt.

Answer: Sequenced their complete genome

By studying the genome scientists can learn which genes are different or are expressed differently. This can help them understand why some animals are resistant to diseases or why some live longer. This information could be relevant or translatable to humans and possibly be used to develop treatments for cancer prevention or life-span extension.

The naked mole rat can survive up to 31 years of age in captivity (mice and rats live 4-5 years in captivity) while maintaining good health and reproductive potential. They also have the ability to halt cell proliferation before cancerous tumours can even start. Also unusual is their skin; it is insensitive to pain, particularly to irritation from acid and capsaicin. This is thought to be an adaptation to the extreme environment they live in, but nonetheless continues to perplex scientists.