Re: Endothermic Crocodiles - Naked Mole Rats?

[ornstn@inforamp.net (Ronald Orenstein)]

>For those of you who don't know, Naked Mole Rats are
>> ectothermic mammals (I'm not sure if they really are rats though) 
>
>Last I heard, distantly related to old world porcupines and some other 
>African rodents.

Naked Mole-Rats belong to the family Bathygeridae, or African Mole-Rats
vaguely like pocket gophers (HB measurement 80-330mm).  The other genera
have thick, soft fur.  Like many burrowing mammals their legs are quite
short (imagine a short salami with fur and you've got the right idea).
Fossils are known from Africa (Miocene; Pleistocene-Recent) and Asia (a
giant Oligocene form.  Walker's Mammals of the World places the family near
the end of the Rodentia, separated from "true"  mice and rats by things like
Porcupines, Cavies, Capybaras and Agoutis but near a number of other small
families of "ratlike" mammals (Echimyidae, Ctenodactylidae etc.)

PS - the Cincinnati Zoo also has an exhibit of these creatures - in their
insect house! (to show similarities to insect social structure)
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116 (home)
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