The naked mole rat is a nearly hairless, burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa. It is a eusocial species that lives in colonies. In a eusocial species, a queen bears all offspring from only a few males. The other members of the colony work towards the reproductive benefit of the queen.National Zoo: The Truth about Mole-Rats (May-June 2002)
Rufus the Naked Mole Rat
In 2002, the television cartoon show Kim Possible featured a naked mole rat named Rufus as a main character. On the show, Rufus was Kim's pet. According to the National Zoo, in real life mole rats are not domesticated and should not be kept as pets.National Zoo: Frequently Asked Questions about Naked Mole-Rats
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References
Fast Facts
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Latin name
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Fact:
Spend almost their entire lives underground in darknessNational Zoo: The Truth about Mole-Rats (May-June 2002)
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Fact:
Can live up to 25 years in captivityBBC Science & Nature: Naked mole-rat
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Adaptations for living and burrowing underground include
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Fact:
Other eusocial animals include primarily insects such as ants, wasps and beesAnimal Behavior Online: The Eusocial Animals
