Naked Mole Rat (Noun)
Meaning
Fetal-looking colonial rodent of East Africa; neither mole nor rat; they feed on tubers and have a social structure similar to that of honeybees and termites.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Biologists study the naked mole rat for insights into prolonged longevity and robust cancer resistance in mammals.
- Naked mole rats are surprisingly resilient creatures despite being arguably one of the ugliest mammals in existence.
- An unusual characteristic of naked mole rats is that they have a single breeding female per colony, while the rest of the colony members engage in domestic and foraging tasks.
- Research has shown that feeding naked mole rats with specific nutrients does not slow down aging or greatly impact their remarkable life spans.
- Due to social behavior patterns, the naked mole rat does not make for a particularly good pet and its high social requirements cannot be easily met by individual owners.