Pain Resistance in Mole-Rats

Pain Resistance in Mole-Rats

Naked mole-rats are weird. Native to East Africa, they live underground in highly ordered and hierarchical colonies with a single breeding queen, more like ants or termites than mammals. Some of their most striking physiological adaptations include an extraordinarily long lifespan (30+ years), apparent resistance to cancer, and resistance to extremely low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide.

But it turns out naked mole-rats are not completely alone; they come from a family of weirdos. In my latest Animal Minds post, I discuss what researchers have discovered about pain insensitivity in naked mole-rats and some of their close relatives.

Read the story here: Pain Insensitivity in Mole-Rats.

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Making Friends, The Vampire Bat Way
Animals, Biology, Ecology, Nature, Psychology Mary Bates Animals, Biology, Ecology, Nature, Psychology Mary Bates

Making Friends, The Vampire Bat Way

Vampire bats aren’t so different from humans in some ways. These long-lived and extremely social bats form close social relationships – bonds that in humans, we’d call friendships. However, vampire bat friendships are characterized by mutual tongue baths and regurgitated blood. Now, research shows how these friendships form. In a study published today, scientists report that vampire bats gradually build trust through social grooming. The results support a model of how cooperative relationships form that could also apply to human friendships.

Read the whole story at National Geographic: How Vampire Bat Friendship is Surprisingly Like Our Own.

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Marine Mammals Actively Explore Environment with Whiskers
Animals, Biology, Ecology, Nature Mary Bates Animals, Biology, Ecology, Nature Mary Bates

Marine Mammals Actively Explore Environment with Whiskers

Whiskers aren’t just decorative. Whisker touch is an active sensory system. Most mammals have whiskers and a few, like rats and shrews, are whisker specialists – actively controlling their whiskers to guide exploration, foraging, and navigation. Pinnipeds (the group that includes seals, sea lions, and walruses) also have highly prominent and sensitive whiskers. Are they as adept at using their whiskers as land-living whisker specialists?

See my latest Animal Minds blog post: Marine Mammals Actively Explore Environment with Whiskers.

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