"Naked mole-rats are so weird you just never know"
December 18, 2018 6:46 AM Subscribe
After Bloodbath, The National Zoo’s Naked Mole-Rats Finally Choose Their Queen: The National Zoo in Washington recently acquired a colony of naked mole-rats (previously). Besides being naturally cancer-free, resistant to most poisons, and physiologically young for most of their lifespan (up to ~30 years), naked mole-rats are also eusocial, meaning they are ruled by a queen, who is the only female allowed to reproduce. (We're not quite sure how that works.) The colony at the National Zoo, as of Monday, has settled the question of which of the mole-rats will be the queen, with one of them giving birth to a brood of two. The process was not peaceful, however: of the 17 adult mole-rats that arrived at the Zoo, only 13 remain. More on why the naked mole-rat is so weird.
Very proud of my elongated coin (smushed penny) of a naked mole rat from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA. Hurray for Naked Mole Rats!
posted by PistachioRoux at 7:09 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by PistachioRoux at 7:09 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
The other weird thing about naked mole-rats is that they cannot be kept in isolation--they will become very stressed out when alone and will outright die.
This makes managing them when a colony is undergoing so much turmoil very, very difficult.
posted by sciatrix at 7:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
This makes managing them when a colony is undergoing so much turmoil very, very difficult.
posted by sciatrix at 7:13 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
“Each time a naked mole-rat queen gets pregnant and gives birth, her spinal column stretches a little and makes her slightly longer, so she can fit more babies in there next time.”
What??
posted by impishoptimist at 7:22 AM on December 18, 2018 [13 favorites]
What??
posted by impishoptimist at 7:22 AM on December 18, 2018 [13 favorites]
There's also a new Mary Queen of Scots movie out. Coincidence?
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:23 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:23 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
“Each time a naked mole-rat queen gets pregnant and gives birth, her spinal column stretches a little and makes her slightly longer, so she can fit more babies in there next time.”
Stylish *and* practical.
posted by Damienmce at 7:27 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]
Stylish *and* practical.
posted by Damienmce at 7:27 AM on December 18, 2018 [17 favorites]
We are in the same club as these mole rats, which is the very few species of (nearly) hairless mammals.
Aside from the aquatic ones (cetaceans like whales and dolphins, who presumably evolved fatty insulation to replace hair), and some occasional mutants (like hairless horses), the only naturally evolved "naked" land-based species are elephants, babirusa (Indonesian hairless pigs), hippos, naked mole rats and of course humans. Clearly, losing hair is accompanied by a certain amount of weirdness.
posted by beagle at 7:29 AM on December 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
Aside from the aquatic ones (cetaceans like whales and dolphins, who presumably evolved fatty insulation to replace hair), and some occasional mutants (like hairless horses), the only naturally evolved "naked" land-based species are elephants, babirusa (Indonesian hairless pigs), hippos, naked mole rats and of course humans. Clearly, losing hair is accompanied by a certain amount of weirdness.
posted by beagle at 7:29 AM on December 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
"Over the last several weeks… the queen’s nipples had grown significantly, increasing suspicions that she was the Chosen One. " Tumblr promptly banned all photos of naked mole-rats.
posted by Kabanos at 7:40 AM on December 18, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 7:40 AM on December 18, 2018 [24 favorites]
Looking at the National Zoo naked mole rat cam, it appears that there are at least 3 babies!
For the purposes of this story, there are 3 things you need to know about naked mole rats:
1. They are a little bit rat.
2. They are a little bit mole.
3. They are bloodthirsty as heck!
(h/t Mo Willems)
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 7:41 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
For the purposes of this story, there are 3 things you need to know about naked mole rats:
1. They are a little bit rat.
2. They are a little bit mole.
3. They are bloodthirsty as heck!
(h/t Mo Willems)
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 7:41 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Naked mole rats are cool and all until you’re picking through the ruins of post-apocalyptic Boston and one of the little bastards comes running at you with a mini-nuke strapped to its wrinkly hairless back. Am I right?
posted by ejs at 7:53 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by ejs at 7:53 AM on December 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
Just a reminder, if you have not already, please check out Railsea by China Meiville, which is about hunting giant mole rats from moleing trains.
posted by rebent at 7:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by rebent at 7:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
They do get cancer although it does seem like they get it a lot less often?
posted by edd at 8:04 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by edd at 8:04 AM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
MetaFilter: It was the mole-rat we expected
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:48 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:48 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Looking at the National Zoo naked mole rat cam, it appears that there are at least 3 babies!
A warning that - while this footage is not NSFW - it looks like it very much is, to a casual observer walking past your computer.
posted by rongorongo at 8:53 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
A warning that - while this footage is not NSFW - it looks like it very much is, to a casual observer walking past your computer.
posted by rongorongo at 8:53 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
This article says:
(fun fact: naked mole-rats eat each other’s waste, and the queen’s droppings in particular have hormones in them that propel her subjects to care for her young).
This article says:
It is currently unknown what cues are responsible for the morphological and hormonal changes that happen to sexually suppressed mole rats.
I wonder why both of these things are true? Wouldn't it seem likely that the thing they eat that has special hormones that do one thing, also do the other thing?
posted by bleep at 8:56 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
(fun fact: naked mole-rats eat each other’s waste, and the queen’s droppings in particular have hormones in them that propel her subjects to care for her young).
This article says:
It is currently unknown what cues are responsible for the morphological and hormonal changes that happen to sexually suppressed mole rats.
I wonder why both of these things are true? Wouldn't it seem likely that the thing they eat that has special hormones that do one thing, also do the other thing?
posted by bleep at 8:56 AM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
I, for one, welcome our naked mole-rate overlords.
posted by mikeand1 at 9:07 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mikeand1 at 9:07 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
God save our Naked Mole-rat Queen
posted by XMLicious at 9:15 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by XMLicious at 9:15 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
Maybe a naked mole rat ate your baby.
posted by e1c at 9:15 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by e1c at 9:15 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
I LOVE THEM.
where is the naked mole rat watership down matriarchy story that I need in my life?
posted by schadenfrau at 9:23 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]
where is the naked mole rat watership down matriarchy story that I need in my life?
posted by schadenfrau at 9:23 AM on December 18, 2018 [10 favorites]
a human can’t know the heart of a mole-rat
I feel such unexpected grief.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:27 AM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]
I feel such unexpected grief.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:27 AM on December 18, 2018 [11 favorites]
As an addendum to my earlier comment, while "A Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" is an often-read story in our house, it irks me that "Grand-pah" is considered the final arbiter of taste for the colony in the book, instead of the queen. But on the other hand, the story is about male-presenting mole rats who buck tradition and decide they like fashion, so the gender politics would be different if it was about females (of course women like clothes! can't have naked [mole rat] ladies!).
In short kids books about naked mole rats are a land of contrasts and come with a side plate of beans.
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 9:30 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
In short kids books about naked mole rats are a land of contrasts and come with a side plate of beans.
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 9:30 AM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
i say it's a book about those who are in general different .
posted by brujita at 10:13 AM on December 18, 2018
posted by brujita at 10:13 AM on December 18, 2018
OK, so:
I'm not sure what's more astonishing: that somehow over the eons the unpredictability of evolution and survival resulted in a series of circumstances where a creature with these various bizarre traits (to name a few!) was successful, or that there are people who would have us believe this could possibly be the result of conscious choices by an "intelligent" designer.
posted by nickmark at 10:30 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Naked mole-rats are one of just two eusocial mammalian species, which means they live much like colonies of bees or ants: one queen reigns supreme over everybody else, and challengers must fight and kill her for their own shot at rulership. Only the queen is allowed to reproduce, and her subjects are assigned roles as she sees fitAll just from the first article. And OMG that video from the last link!
...
Each time a naked mole-rat queen gets pregnant and gives birth, her spinal column stretches a little and makes her slightly longer, so she can fit more babies in there next time.
...
Queens sexually repress all the other females in the colony, as well as the males they don’t want to mate with, preventing them from going through puberty
...
fun fact: naked mole-rats eat each other’s poop, and the queen’s droppings in particular have hormones in them that propel her subjects to care for her young
I'm not sure what's more astonishing: that somehow over the eons the unpredictability of evolution and survival resulted in a series of circumstances where a creature with these various bizarre traits (to name a few!) was successful, or that there are people who would have us believe this could possibly be the result of conscious choices by an "intelligent" designer.
posted by nickmark at 10:30 AM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Looking at the National Zoo naked mole rat cam, it appears that there are at least 3 babies!
A warning that - while this footage is not NSFW - it looks like it very much is, to a casual observer walking past your computer.
I mean, the word "naked" is right there, so.
*opens up webcam at work*
*sees what looks like a bunch of scrotums pressed up against the camera*
eeeep
*click [X] frantically*
rongorongo is super smart, everyone please listen to them
posted by Fig at 10:52 AM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
A warning that - while this footage is not NSFW - it looks like it very much is, to a casual observer walking past your computer.
I mean, the word "naked" is right there, so.
*opens up webcam at work*
*sees what looks like a bunch of scrotums pressed up against the camera*
eeeep
*click [X] frantically*
rongorongo is super smart, everyone please listen to them
posted by Fig at 10:52 AM on December 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
Metafilter: a bunch of scrotums pressed up against the camera
posted by some loser at 11:11 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by some loser at 11:11 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD
posted by PenDevil at 11:38 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by PenDevil at 11:38 AM on December 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is the thread where I tell you that you can ride a naked mole rat on the Conservation Carousel at the National Zoo in DC. It is pretty grody in person to be honest.
posted by frecklefaerie at 11:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by frecklefaerie at 11:54 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
I should add that in person, they also look like a cheerful mass of undulating scrotums. (Damaraland mole-rats, the other eusocial mammalian species, mostly look like the Morlocks of guinea pigs.) This is not helped by the tendency of mole-rats to walk backwards for no apparent reason, meaning that at any given time in a social chamber the mole-rats will all be moving in wildly different directions without necessarily appearing to keep a head in the right place.
posted by sciatrix at 6:12 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 6:12 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm obsessed with naked mole rats as of since yesterday! They're viscerally horrifying to look at but they're so cool! Do we think it's the poop hormones suppressing the puberty of the other females & the males the queen doesn't feel like boinking, or what?
posted by taquito sunrise at 3:35 AM on December 19, 2018
posted by taquito sunrise at 3:35 AM on December 19, 2018
In 2006 the Illinois Bureau of Tourism put out this charming retro poster to promote the Brookfield Zoo and its naked mole rats: "As if Being a Rat and a Mole Weren’t Bad Enough".
posted by kgander at 8:11 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kgander at 8:11 PM on December 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
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Which is why, when I read out the line, "Queens sexually repress all the other females in the colony, as well as the males they don’t want to mate with, preventing them from going through puberty (even experts aren’t quite sure how queens do this)" from this article to him just now, he said, "I thought for a moment that you were reading from the Princess Margaret book again."
posted by terretu at 7:00 AM on December 18, 2018 [56 favorites]