The Naked Mole Rat…The Weirdest Rodent in the World?

If you have been watching popular animated TV show “Kim Possible” back in the 2000s, then you might be quite familiar with the naked mole rat. However, the naked mole rat (named Rufus) in show was cute, nimble, and very intelligent (unlike his owner, Ron Stoppable).

Still, as a huge fan of the show, I had always thought that naked mole rats are cute and I wished I could have one at home. Reality sets in after I found photos of real naked mole rats as an adult. It was a good thing the TV show had been finished before I found out how real naked mole rats look because that would have certainly changed the way I view Rufus.

Instead of being cute, smooth, and very cuddly, the real naked mole rats look terrible. By “naked”, scientists who named this creature meant it did not have hair/fur. Thus, it looks all pink and weird.

It would have been better if this creature had fur to cover its wrinkled skin but as the joke had it, when God was giving the animals they fur coats, this naked mole rat must have been sleeping. Lacking the insulation provided by hair/fur, naked mole rats are much better suited in living under the ground where the soil can protect them from extreme weather conditions.

As with other rodents, the naked mole rats have two front teeth that are much longer compared with the other teeth. Because they have short, thin legs, these tiny creatures make use of their long teeth for digging.

These creatures have long adapted to living underground that they are able to move backwards as fast as they can forward! Incredible, isn’t it?

Sources: Wikipedia, Bored Panda