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Are naked mole rats the strangest mammals? - Thomas Park

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What mammal has the social life of an insect, the cold-bloodedness of a reptile, and the metabolism of a plant? Bald and buck-toothed, naked mole rats may not be pretty, but they are extraordinary. Thomas Park explains how mole rats' peculiar traits have evolved over millions of years to make them uniquely suited to survive harsh conditions - especially long periods without oxygen.


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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Thomas Park
  • Director Chintis Lundgren
  • Script Editor Elizabeth Cox
  • Animator Chintis Lundgren, Lea Kralj Jager
  • Designer Chintis Lundgren
  • Producer Draško Ivezić
  • Composer Jure Buljević
  • Sound Designer Jure Buljević
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Naked mole rats are unusual because they combine living underground with living in great numbers. The advantage is that they can work together to find and share food. The disadvantage is that many animals sharing the same air use up much of the oxygen supply. Over millions of years, naked mole rats have evolved new ways of surviving and even thriving in very low-oxygen concentrations.

This video discusses these clever adaptations and shows how a group of naked mole rats lives in a laboratory.

You can also read about naked mole rats in The Scientist here.

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Thomas Park
  • Director Chintis Lundgren
  • Script Editor Elizabeth Cox
  • Animator Chintis Lundgren, Lea Kralj Jager
  • Designer Chintis Lundgren
  • Producer Draško Ivezić
  • Composer Jure Buljević
  • Sound Designer Jure Buljević
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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