Naked Mole-Rat

Africa · underground · super weird · eusocial

Completely hairless. Unlike most mammals, naked mole-rats have almost no fur on their wrinkly pink skin, which helps them stay cool in their hot underground burrows where they live.

Live in colonies. These rodents live together in huge family groups underground, like ants or bees, with one special female (the queen) who has babies while the others work.

Found in Africa. Naked mole-rats dig tunnels and burrows across the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, carving out networks of tunnels underground where they hunt for roots and tubers.

Weird teeth shape. Their teeth stick out in front of their lips, so they can dig and chew with their mouths closed to keep dirt out of their burrows.

Cancer fighters. Naked mole-rats almost never get cancer, which makes scientists study them to learn secrets about staying healthy.