trokt Archives - The River 95.3

Lonnie's Fun Fact for Friday May 7, 2021. A bit of nudity in today's Fun Fact. You've been warned. Today a look at the Naked Mole-Rat. The naked mole-rat, also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa. The naked mole-rat lacks pain sensitivity in its skin, and has very low metabolic and respiratory rates. The naked mole-rat is also remarkable for its longevity and its resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation. A typical naked mole-rat is about 3 to 4 inches long and weighs in at 1 to 1.5 ounces. Like your typical clothed mole, they are well adapted to their underground existence with small eyes, thin, short legs. They are great at moving underground and can move backward as fast as they can move forward. Their large, protruding teeth are used to dig and their lips are sealed just behind the teeth, preventing soil from filling their mouths while digging. They have little hair, hence the name, and wrinkled pink or yellowish skin. They have the longest life span of any rodent, living up to an amazing 32 years. Listen to the podcast here; theriver953.com/podcast/fun-fact-may-7-2021/ ... See MoreSee Less