National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: "Lazy Slob" Mole Rats Are Key to Colony Growth, Study Says


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Between 60 and 75 percent of a population of Damaraland mole rats (Cryptomys damarensis), rodents native to Africa, are "frequent workers." These industrious rats perform 95 percent of the work, while the remaining "infrequent workers" enjoy the results, new research shows.

Scientists believe the lazy rats are important to genetic survival, because they save their energy until the wet season, when they kick into overdrive to dig burrows and expand the colony's range.

Photograph courtesy T.Jackson/Nature