Creature Feature #491: Naked Mole-rat

The Naked Mole-rat is the one of the only eusocial mammals in the world. She lives in a colony structured somewhat like a bee hive: with one fertile, breeding female with 1-3 fertile males. The other females are all reproductively suppressed. Smaller Naked Mole-rats assist in gathering food and maintaining the nest, whilst large individuals undergo guarding duty. They also aid in caring for the pups. When the Queen dies, another will take her place, her hormones adjusting so that she becomes fertile. Litters can number up to 28 pups, although the average is 11. Naked Mole-rats are almost blind, almost hairless and designed to survive in their subterranean burrows. Her lungs are small and her skin lacks pain neurotransmitters, which helps her survive in areas with low oxygen and high cardon dioxide and acid levels.

Generally speaking, Naked Mole-rats are probably the ugliest animals I have ever seen. The only other eusocial mammal is the Damaraland Mole-rat which is larger and hairy and therefore marginly cuter (although it's still moslty all buckteeth.