The Naked Mole Rat aka the ‘Sand Puppy’

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

This animal isn’t endangered.  It also isn’t cute and cuddly by most people’s standards, which means not many bother to learn about them.  Some find them plain ugly and don’t give them a second though.  This is why some of the interesting facts about them aren’t widely known.

  • First, the naked mole rat is found in parts of Kenya and the Horn of Africa.
  • They do have some sensory hairs to help them navigate through their dark tunnel networks.
  • Naked mole rats live in massive colonies with only ONE breeding female.
  • Their two front teeth can be moved independently instead of acting as a single, fused unit.
  • Their lips close behind their front teeth to prevent dirt from being ingested.
  • They do not drink water.  All hydration is accomplished by eating tubers and roots underground.
  • Naked mole rats can live up to 30 years, which makes them the longest living small rodent.
  • To get the most out of their food, they eat their own poop and redigest it.  This is not as uncommon in the animal kingdom as we would think.
  • Low metabolism and respiration rate allows them to survive in their tunnels where oxygen is limited.  It can survive in air with 5% oxygen for at least 5 hours.
  • Naked mole rats cannot regulate their body temperature, which makes them thermoconformers.  This means they take on the temperature of their environment.
  • To stay warm, they will gather together for body heat or get to the warmer upper tunnels.
  • Their skin lacks neurotransmitters in the cutaneous sensory fibers, so they cannot feel pain from the outside.  Certain triggers, such as capsaicin, can cause pain when injected into the body.
  • Finally, naked mole rats have shown to be resistant to tumors.  This means they could hold some key to cancer cures.

Now for some Google pics and videos:

Rufus from Kim Possible

Unknown's avatar

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
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18 Responses to The Naked Mole Rat aka the ‘Sand Puppy’

  1. noelleg44's avatar noelleg44 says:
    November 23, 2025 at 9:51 am

    I think they are so ugly that they’re kinda cute. Are they considered pests? Incredible biological adaptations!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. tidalscribe.com's avatar tidalscribe.com says:
    November 23, 2025 at 1:18 pm

    I suppose they were first found by farmers digging, otherwise who would have known they were there underground. Once again Charles you have literally dug out another unknown creature!

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  3. coldhandboyack's avatar coldhandboyack says:
    November 23, 2025 at 1:41 pm

    I was aware of them and remember the one from Kim Possible. How are you feeling?

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  4. John W. Howell's avatar John W. Howell says:
    November 23, 2025 at 1:46 pm

    I didn’t know about these before. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Book Club Mom's avatar Book Club Mom says:
    November 23, 2025 at 4:25 pm

    Thanks for sharing these facts and pictures – I knew nothing about these animals!

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  6. DebyFredericks's avatar DebyFredericks says:
    November 24, 2025 at 10:05 pm

    Those are some incredible adaptations.

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    Reply
  7. Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
    November 26, 2025 at 10:23 am

    Thank goodness they’re not in our neck of the woods. Those teeth – yikes!

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