ScienceDaily - Naked mole rats are strange, ugly, nearly hairless mouse-like creatures that live in underground communities. Unlike any other mammal, these communities consist of queens and workers more reminiscent of bees than rodentsThey are 3-6 inches long, have pink furless skin, tiny eyes which never see the light of day, and long front teeth for digging.
Scientists call it "eusocial" in that the young are cared for by the group, individuals in the group give up their ability to reproduce in order to do other jobs, and there are at least two generations that overlap to do the family's work, Honeycutt noted.
"Biological evolution is generally seen as a competition, a contest among individuals struggling to survive and reproduce," said Dr Rodney Honeycutt.
"It runs counter to everything we know about evolution," Honeycutt said. "In fact, (Charles) Darwin himself said social animals represent a real challenge to his theory (of natural selection and individual fitness)."
Storyteller : Dr. Rodney Honeycutt, Texas A&M Univeristy
Source: Desparate Mole-Rats
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