Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber)

Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber)

All_the_Best · 8 months ago

Naked mole rat has the lengthiest lifespan among all rodents in the world. They have wrinkly skin that's either pink or grayish-pink. They also have short, broad heads, giant incisors, and strong jaw muscles. A naked mole rat can weigh between 1 to 1.5 ounces and have a length of 3 inches. 

You'll find this hairless animal in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and other countries in Eastern Africa. A naked mole rat can barely see because it has tiny eyes. Also, it can not regulate its body temperature. It maintains its body temperature by huddling with other rats in the colony. 

Although naked mole rats look hairless, they are not. They have sensory whiskers on their tail and faces. The rats also have hairy toes, which help them sweep away soil from their digging activities. Another attribute of the weird animals is their social structure. Naked mole rats have an eusocial system that's unusual for mammals. 

They live in large colonies, with only one female rat performing the breeding while other rats form the workforce. They refer to the breeding female as the queen.

Dementor Wasp (Ampulex dementor)

All_the_Best · 8 months ago

Scientists recently discovered the dementor wasp in southeast Asia. They are flying insects that turn cockroaches into zombies. They do this by injecting the belly of cockroaches with venom, which turns the roach into a passive zombie. 

It turns them into zombies by blocking the receptors of the neurotransmitters of octopamine. Octopamine is involved in the initiation of spontaneous responses. Blocking it makes cockroaches incapable of controlling their movements.

Pangolin (Pholidota)

All_the_Best · 8 months ago

A pangolin is a solitary and nocturnal animal covered by an armor of scales. It hides under its scaly armor when confronted by a predator. It rolls into a ball and uses its sharp scales and tail to attack whenever it is touched. Pangolin's scales are made of keratin. 

It has a small head and a long tail. Despite its lack of external ears, the pangolin has excellent hearing. It also has no teeth and grinds food with its gizzard-like intestines. To aid its digestion, it consumes small stones and sand. These unique features make it one of the most trafficked mammals in the world.