May 3, 2012 Naked Mole Rats

[CaliforniaMama]

For your viewing and reading pleasure, here are 2 out of 10 reasons the naked mole rats will inherit the earth.

Reason Number 6:



A naked mole rat's teeth function like a biological swiss army knife
The first thing you'll probably notice about the image above is that almost a third of the rodent's somatosensory brain power is devoted to its incisors. . . Slow-motion analysis has revealed that mole rats can actually move their lower pair of incisors independently of one another (not unlike a pair of chopsticks). This allows NMRs to interact with one another in a social context, carry and manipulate food and other objects, move and care for their young, and — obviously — feed.

Reason Number 5:



The naked mole rat is one of only two known eusocial mammals on Earth (the other, incidentally, is another species of mole rat); in other words: naked mole rats live in colonies, like ants. Each colony is presided over by a single queen who breeds with a few select males. Eusocial creatures are notoriously gifted at operating as a functional unit that is greater than the sum of its parts, foraging for resources, and looking after their own — three great qualities for a species striving to survive in a post-apocalyptic scenario.

To see the remaining 8 reasons, head on over to "10 Reasons Naked Mole Rats Will Inherit the Earth."