Hello Cutie! Scientists Discover New Species Of Giant Mole Rat, Native To Southern Africa

[hatrack]

Although the term "giant mole rat" may not immediately inspire love, the mole rats of Africa are a fascinating bunch. They spend practically their entire lives underground building elaborate tunnel systems and feeding on plant stems. This underground lifestyle has led them to evolve small ears, tiny eyes, forward-pointing teeth for digging, and nostrils they can shut at will while digging. Some species are quite social, such as the most famous, the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber), while others live largely solitary lives. If that's not enough, the family of mole rats, dubbed Blesmols, may even help us find a cure for cancer.

"They are long-lived rodents (Fukomys more than 20 years [and] the naked mole-rat more than 30 years) and have become a focus in cancer research as they don't seem to develop cancers," Paul Van Daele an expert on Blesmols with the University of Ghent told mongabay.com.

Van Daele describes Africa's mole rats as "soil architects much in the same way as e.g. the insectivorous European moles. However, they excavate extensive, anastomosing [or connecting] tunnel systems along which they forage for bulbs, roots and corms, their staple food."

In 2002, Van Daele and his team noticed a distinct-looking mole rat in Zambia, although similar to giant mole rat (Fukomys mechowii) it was noticeably smaller. It took several years to confirm their hypothesis that they had uncovered a new species, but a recent study by Van Daele and his team in Zootaxa describes the world's newest mole rat: Caroline's mole rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae), distinguished by a distinct skull shape and confirmed by DNA and chromosome tests.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0430-hance-carolines-mole-rat.html

[pinto]

1. anastomosing tunnel systems

That's a new one for me, had to look it up.

Means tunnels that branch and reconnect, branch and reconnect - like some river systems, veins and arteries in animals, etc.

[LiberalEsto]

2. The poor thing has a curious resemblance to Rush Limbaugh

I wonder if they're relatives

[stuntcat]

3. Hello beautiful!