Recent from talks
Damaraland mole-rat
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Damaraland mole-rat
The Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis), Damara mole rat or Damaraland blesmol, is a burrowing rodent found in southern Africa. Along with the smaller, less hairy, naked mole rat, it is a species of eusocial mammal.
Like other blesmols, the Damaraland mole-rat has a cylindrical body with short, stout limbs, large feet, and a conical head. It is also similar in size to most other African mole-rats, having a head-body length of 14 to 20 cm (5.5 to 7.9 in), with a short, 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.18 in), tail, and weighing between 100 and 280 grams (3.5 and 9.9 oz). There are no external ears, and the blue-coloured eyes are tiny with thick eyelids. The incisor teeth are large and prominent, with flaps of skin behind them to prevent soil from falling into the throat while the animal is using them to dig.
The fur is short and thick, and varies from fawn to almost black, with shades of brown being most common. There is always a white patch on the top of the head, although its exact shape varies, and there may also be additional blotches of white fur elsewhere on the body. Longer sensory hairs project above the fur over much of the body, with the facial whiskers being particularly long. Females have six teats.
Although named specifically for Damaraland, the mole-rats are found across much of southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. They inhabit warm, semi-arid environments dominated by savannah scrubland or sandy grasslands. They are most commonly associated with red Kalahari psamments, and are found only where there is a sufficient supply of plants with subterranean storage organs.
Damaraland mole-rats are herbivorous, feeding solely on tubers, corms, and bulbs. Favoured foods include such plants as Acanthosicyos, Star-of-Bethlehem, Ledebouria, and Talinum. Their natural predators include mole snakes, and occasionally other local snakes, such as cobras. They do not drink, obtaining all their water from their food, which is also an important source of minerals. Unlike most other mammals, they can effectively metabolise these minerals without access to vitamin D, which they lack because they are normally never exposed to sunlight. The basal metabolic rate of Damaraland mole rats is also unusually low for mammals of their size, at just 0.66 cm3 O2 / g · h.
Despite living in an entirely subterranean environment, Damaraland mole-rats exhibit circadian rhythms, and are active primarily during the day. Their levels of the hormone melatonin can be altered by artificially changing the length of apparent daylight, suggesting that they are at least able to distinguish light from dark, although their eyesight may otherwise be very poor.
Damaraland mole-rats live in networks of tunnels, which they dig with their front teeth. The tunnels are 65 to 75 mm (2.6 to 3.0 in) in diameter, and may stretch for up to 1 km (0.62 mi). They have no connection to the surface, although their presence can be inferred from dome-shaped molehills of excavated earth pushed up to the surface. As a result, the tunnels develop their own microclimate, containing warm, moist air, with low oxygen levels. Most digging occurs after rainfall, since dry soil is too difficult to excavate. Because they live in arid environments, this means that Damaraland mole-rats can be extremely active over short periods; a typical colony has been estimated to excavate three tons of soil over a two-week period.
The burrow system consists primarily of foraging tunnels, which the rats dig in search of food. While particularly large tubers and bulbs are at least partially eaten where they are found, smaller ones are dragged to food storage chambers beneath the foraging tunnels. The foraging tunnels are typically only 5 to 25 cm (2.0 to 9.8 in) beneath the soil surface, but are connected to a smaller number of deep tunnels that lead down to the storage chambers, latrines, and a central nest that may be as much as 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) underground.
Hub AI
Damaraland mole-rat AI simulator
(@Damaraland mole-rat_simulator)
Damaraland mole-rat
The Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis), Damara mole rat or Damaraland blesmol, is a burrowing rodent found in southern Africa. Along with the smaller, less hairy, naked mole rat, it is a species of eusocial mammal.
Like other blesmols, the Damaraland mole-rat has a cylindrical body with short, stout limbs, large feet, and a conical head. It is also similar in size to most other African mole-rats, having a head-body length of 14 to 20 cm (5.5 to 7.9 in), with a short, 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.18 in), tail, and weighing between 100 and 280 grams (3.5 and 9.9 oz). There are no external ears, and the blue-coloured eyes are tiny with thick eyelids. The incisor teeth are large and prominent, with flaps of skin behind them to prevent soil from falling into the throat while the animal is using them to dig.
The fur is short and thick, and varies from fawn to almost black, with shades of brown being most common. There is always a white patch on the top of the head, although its exact shape varies, and there may also be additional blotches of white fur elsewhere on the body. Longer sensory hairs project above the fur over much of the body, with the facial whiskers being particularly long. Females have six teats.
Although named specifically for Damaraland, the mole-rats are found across much of southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. They inhabit warm, semi-arid environments dominated by savannah scrubland or sandy grasslands. They are most commonly associated with red Kalahari psamments, and are found only where there is a sufficient supply of plants with subterranean storage organs.
Damaraland mole-rats are herbivorous, feeding solely on tubers, corms, and bulbs. Favoured foods include such plants as Acanthosicyos, Star-of-Bethlehem, Ledebouria, and Talinum. Their natural predators include mole snakes, and occasionally other local snakes, such as cobras. They do not drink, obtaining all their water from their food, which is also an important source of minerals. Unlike most other mammals, they can effectively metabolise these minerals without access to vitamin D, which they lack because they are normally never exposed to sunlight. The basal metabolic rate of Damaraland mole rats is also unusually low for mammals of their size, at just 0.66 cm3 O2 / g · h.
Despite living in an entirely subterranean environment, Damaraland mole-rats exhibit circadian rhythms, and are active primarily during the day. Their levels of the hormone melatonin can be altered by artificially changing the length of apparent daylight, suggesting that they are at least able to distinguish light from dark, although their eyesight may otherwise be very poor.
Damaraland mole-rats live in networks of tunnels, which they dig with their front teeth. The tunnels are 65 to 75 mm (2.6 to 3.0 in) in diameter, and may stretch for up to 1 km (0.62 mi). They have no connection to the surface, although their presence can be inferred from dome-shaped molehills of excavated earth pushed up to the surface. As a result, the tunnels develop their own microclimate, containing warm, moist air, with low oxygen levels. Most digging occurs after rainfall, since dry soil is too difficult to excavate. Because they live in arid environments, this means that Damaraland mole-rats can be extremely active over short periods; a typical colony has been estimated to excavate three tons of soil over a two-week period.
The burrow system consists primarily of foraging tunnels, which the rats dig in search of food. While particularly large tubers and bulbs are at least partially eaten where they are found, smaller ones are dragged to food storage chambers beneath the foraging tunnels. The foraging tunnels are typically only 5 to 25 cm (2.0 to 9.8 in) beneath the soil surface, but are connected to a smaller number of deep tunnels that lead down to the storage chambers, latrines, and a central nest that may be as much as 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) underground.
Recent media