| complex evolution of x and y autosomal translocations in the giant mole-rat, cryptomys mechowi (bathyergidae). | cross-species chromosome painting was used to determine homologous chromosomal regions between two species of mole-rat, the naked mole-rat, heterocephalus glaber (2n = 60), and the giant mole-rat, cryptomys mechowi (2n = 40), using flow-sorted painting probes representative of all but two of the h. glaber chromosomal complement. in total 43 homologous regions were identified in the c. mechowi genome. eight h. glaber chromosomes are retained in toto in c. mechowi, and 13 produce two or more signa ... | 2006 | 16964575 |
| cytochrome b sequence analysis reveals differential molecular evolution in african mole-rats of the chromosomally hyperdiverse genus fukomys (bathyergidae, rodentia) from the zambezian region. | african mole-rats (bathyergidae, rodentia) of the (eu)social genus fukomys are one of the most speciose mammal genera endemic to sub-saharan africa. fukomys distributed in the zambezian phytochorion is characterized by extreme chromosomal variation (2n=40-78). we inferred a molecular phylogeny of zambezian fukomys to resolve the interrelationships and the evolutionary history of the known chromosomal races. we sequenced the entire cytochrome b gene (1140bp) for a total of 66 specimens representi ... | 2007 | 17576078 |
| patterns of surface temperatures in two mole-rats (bathyergidae) with different social systems as revealed by ir-thermography. | furred subterranean mammals face the problem of dissipating heat to the environment because high humidity and absence of air flow in sealed belowground tunnels constrain heat loss from body by convection and evaporation. in order to detect body areas responsible for heat loss, surface temperatures in two species of african mole-rats were measured at different ambient air temperatures by infrared thermography. fur characteristics were also evaluated. thinner pelage of the ventrum, its moderate te ... | 2007 | 17544016 |
| unusual cone and rod properties in subterranean african mole-rats (rodentia, bathyergidae). | we have determined the presence of spectral cone types, and the population densities of cones and rods, in subterranean mole-rats of the rodent family bathyergidae, for which light and vision seems of little importance. most mammals have two spectral cone types, a majority of middle- to long-wave-sensitive (l-) cones, and a minority of short-wave-sensitive (s-)cones. we were interested to see whether the subterranean bathyergids show the same pattern. in three species, ansell's mole-rat cryptomy ... | 2004 | 15066151 |
| evolution of eusociality in the bathyergidae. the case of the giant mole rats (cryptomys mechowi). | | 1993 | 8510762 |
| karyotype of the giant mole-rat, cryptomys mechowi (rodentia, bathyergidae). | the karyotype of the giant mole-rat, cryptomys mechowi (rodentia, bathyergidae), from zambia was investigated in one male and one female by means of g-, c-, and agnor-banding techniques. the diploid chromosomal set consisted of 40 biarmed chromosomes (2n = 40, nf = 80). a pair of autosomes in the male and the x chromosomes in the female were heteromorphic. the sex chromosomes were unusually large. | 1993 | 8404051 |
| functional histology of the skin in the subterranean african giant mole-rat: thermal windows are determined solely by pelage characteristics. | excavation of burrows is an extremely physically demanding activity producing a large amount of metabolic heat. dissipation of its surplus is crucial to avoid the risk of overheating, but in subterranean mammals it is complicated due to the absence of notable body extremities and high humidity in their burrows. ir-thermography in a previous study on two species of african mole-rats revealed that body heat was dissipated mainly through the ventral body part, which is notably less furred. here, we ... | 2020 | 32296606 |
| higher gene expression stability during aging in long-lived giant mole-rats than in short-lived rats. | many aging-associated physiological changes are known to occur in short- and long-lived species with different trajectories. emerging evidence suggests that numerous life history trait differences between species are based on interspecies variations in gene expression. little information is available, however, about differences in transcriptome changes during aging between mammals with diverging lifespans. for this reason, we studied the transcriptomes of five tissue types and two age cohorts of ... | 2018 | 30557854 |
| audiograms of three subterranean rodent species (genus fukomys) determined by auditory brainstem responses reveal extremely poor high-frequency cut-offs. | life underground has shaped the auditory sense of subterranean mammals, shifting their hearing range to low frequencies. mole-rats of the genus fukomys have, however, been suggested to hear at frequencies up to 18.5 khz, unusually high for a subterranean rodent. we present audiograms of three mole-rat species, fukomys anselli, fukomys micklemi and the giant mole-rat fukomys mechowii, based on evoked auditory brainstem potentials. all species showed low sensitivity and restricted hearing ranges a ... | 2017 | 29025871 |
| spatial and temporal activity patterns of the free-living giant mole-rat (fukomys mechowii), the largest social bathyergid. | despite the considerable attention devoted to the biology of social species of african mole-rats (bathyergidae, rodentia), knowledge is lacking about their behaviour under natural conditions. we studied activity of the largest social bathyergid, the giant mole-rat fukomys mechowii, in its natural habitat in zambia using radio-telemetry. we radio-tracked six individuals during three continuous 72-h sessions. five of these individuals, including a breeding male, belonged to a single family group; ... | 2013 | 23383166 |
| surprisingly low risk of overheating during digging in two subterranean rodents. | capacities for and constraints of heat dissipation are considered to be important factors governing maximum intensity and duration of physical activity. subterranean mammals are endurance diggers, but because of lack of air currents in their burrows, high relative humidity and other physical constraints, the capacity of common mammalian cooling mechanisms underground is very limited. we analyzed surface and body core temperature changes after digging in soft and hard substrates in two species of ... | 2015 | 25446207 |
| sleep in the cape mole rat: a short-sleeping subterranean rodent. | the cape mole rat georychus capensis is a solitary subterranean rodent found in the western and southern cape of south africa. this approximately 200-gram bathyergid rodent shows a nocturnal circadian rhythm, but sleep in this species is yet to be investigated. using telemetric recordings of the electroencephalogram (eeg) and electromyogram (emg) in conjunction with video recordings, we were able to show that the cape mole rat, like all other rodents, has sleep periods composed of both rapid eye ... | 2016 | 27088160 |
| magnetic compass orientation in two strictly subterranean rodents: learned or species-specific innate directional preference? | evidence for magnetoreception in mammals remains limited. magnetic compass orientation or magnetic alignment has been conclusively demonstrated in only a handful of mammalian species. the functional properties and underlying mechanisms have been most thoroughly characterized in ansell's mole-rat, fukomys anselli, which is the species of choice due to its spontaneous drive to construct nests in the southeastern sector of a circular arena using the magnetic field azimuth as the primary orientation ... | 2012 | 22855619 |
| temperature preferences of african mole-rats (family bathyergidae). | many animals are able to detect small temperature differences and show strong temperature preferences during periods of rest and activity. mammals inhabiting the subterranean ecotope can adapt their digging and foraging activity in shallow tunnels temporarily to periods with favourable ambient air and soil temperatures. moreover, subterranean mammals have the unique opportunity to select for their nests in soil depths with certain, daily and seasonally constant temperatures. our knowledge on nes ... | 2015 | 26590451 |
| thermoregulation in three species of afrotropical subterranean mole-rats (rodentia: bathyergidae) from zambia and angola and scaling within the genus cryptomys. | the thermoregulatory characteristics of three species of cryptomys from zambia and angola are examined and, together with published data on four other species of cryptomys from southern africa, used to determine whether scaling occurs in this genus of subterranean rodents. the thermoregulatory properties of acclimated giant zambian mole-rats, cryptomys mechowi ([formula: see text]=267 g), angolan mole-rats, cryptomys bocagei ([formula: see text]=94 g) and zambian common mole-rats cryptomys hotte ... | 1994 | 28313932 |
| specific paucity of unmyelinated c-fibers in cutaneous peripheral nerves of the african naked-mole rat: comparative analysis using six species of bathyergidae. | in mammalian peripheral nerves, unmyelinated c-fibers usually outnumber myelinated a-fibers. by using transmission electron microscopy, we recently showed that the saphenous nerve of the naked mole-rat (heterocephalus glaber) has a c-fiber deficit manifested as a substantially lower c:a-fiber ratio compared with other mammals. here we determined the uniqueness of this c-fiber deficit by performing a quantitative anatomical analysis of several peripheral nerves in five further members of the bath ... | 2012 | 22528859 |
| distribution of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin containing neurons and terminal networks in relation to sleep associated nuclei in the brain of the giant zambian mole-rat (fukomys mechowii). | to broaden the understanding of the neural control and evolution of the sleep-wake cycle in mammals, the distribution and interrelations of sleep associated nuclei with neurons and terminal networks expressing the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin were explored in a rodent that lacks a significant visual system. the sleep-associated nuclei explored include the cholinergic basal forebrain and pontine nuclei, the catecholaminergic locus coeruleus complex, the serotoner ... | 2013 | 23796985 |
| the impact of gape on the performance of the skull in chisel-tooth digging and scratch digging mole-rats (rodentia: bathyergidae). | the african mole-rats (bathyergidae) are a family of rodents highly adapted for life underground. previous research has shown that chisel-tooth digging mole-rats (which use their incisors to dig burrows) are clearly distinguishable from scratch diggers (which only use the forelimbs to tunnel) on the basis of morphology of the skull, and that the differences are linked to the production of high bite forces and wide gapes. we hypothesized that the skull of a chisel-tooth digging mole-rat would per ... | 2016 | 27853575 |
| Sleep and wake in rhythmic versus arrhythmic chronotypes of a microphthalmic species of African mole rat (Fukomys mechowii). | The giant Zambian mole rat (Fukomys mechowii) is a subterranean Afrotropical rodent noted for its regressed visual system and unusual patterns of circadian rhythmicity--within this species some individuals exhibit distinct regular circadian patterns of locomotor activity while others have arrhythmic circadian patterns. The current study was aimed at understanding whether differences in circadian chronotypes in this species affect the patterns and proportions of the different phases of the sleep- ... | 2011 | 21952092 |
| extended longevity of reproductives appears to be common in fukomys mole-rats (rodentia, bathyergidae). | african mole-rats (bathyergidae, rodentia) contain several social, cooperatively breeding species with low extrinsic mortality and unusually high longevity. all social bathyergids live in multigenerational families where reproduction is skewed towards a few breeding individuals. most of their offspring remain as reproductively inactive "helpers" in their natal families, often for several years. this "reproductive subdivision" of mole-rat societies might be of interest for ageing research, as in ... | 2011 | 21533255 |
| light perception in two strictly subterranean rodents: life in the dark or blue? | the african mole-rats (bathyergidae, rodentia) are strictly subterranean, congenitally microphthalmic rodents that are hardly ever exposed to environmental light. because of the lack of an overt behavioural reaction to light, they have long been considered to be blind. however, recent anatomical studies have suggested retention of basic visual capabilities. in this study, we employed behavioural tests to find out if two mole-rat species are able to discriminate between light and dark, if they ar ... | 2010 | 20676369 |
| cost of digging is determined by intrinsic factors rather than by substrate quality in two subterranean rodent species. | searching for food by extensive digging is one of the most important aspects of life of subterranean rodents. we studied the effect of extrinsic (substrate quality) and intrinsic factors (sex and body mass) upon the cost of burrowing, expressed as digging metabolic rate (dmr) in two african mole-rat species (bathyergidae, rodentia) with distinct social structures. the sexually dimorphic giant mole-rat (fukomys mechowii) is a highly social species, whereas the almost monomorphic silvery mole-rat ... | 2010 | 19840810 |