Northeast African mole-rat

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Northeast African mole-rat
Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehorig (1835) Tachyoryctes splendens (cropped).png
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Spalacidae
Genus: Tachyoryctes
Species:
T. splendens
Binomial name
Tachyoryctes splendens
(Rüppell, 1835)

The northeast African mole-rat (Tachyoryctes splendens) is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae and is found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and northwest Kenya. [2] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, dry savanna, high-altitude shrubland and grassland. It lives a solitary existence underground and produces a small litter of pups twice a year, in the two rainy seasons. Some taxonomic authorities lump this species, along with a number of others in the genus, in which case the English name East African mole-rat is used.

Contents

Distribution and habitat

The northeast African mole-rat is native to upland areas of Ethiopia, Somalia, and northwest Kenya. It is found at elevations of up to 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) in Ethiopia and up to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in other parts of its range. It is an adaptable species and able to live in a range of habitats including savanna, moist tropical forest, agricultural land, pasture, coffee plantations and gardens. [1]

Behaviour

The northeast African mole-rat is a fossorial species and lives a solitary life in a network of burrows. African mole-rats mainly use their bulging teeth, nose, and top of their head to dig channels underground. [3] Some researchers found that their olfactory systems have increased surface area and are highly complex, an evolved trait that may have occurred due to their lifestyle of living in a community with less individuals. [4]

Female mole-rats become sexually mature at about 120 days and the average time between successive litters is around 173 days. The average size of litters is about two. [5] The arrival of the young is synchronized with the middle of the rainy seasons which occur from April to July and again from November to December. [6] Sometimes areas where this mole-rat lives can become flooded. Tests have shown that when this happens, the northeast African mole-rat can swim for two minutes or more, walk overground for up to 80 metres (260 ft) at 7 metres (23 ft) per minute and dig a new burrow. The researchers hypothesized that flooding might encourage the animal to disperse to new areas and that the wet ground would make digging the new burrow easier. [7]

They can produce seismic signals by striking its head against the ceiling of their tunnels to communicate. These signals can be fast, probably for identification of individuals, or slow, maybe as a warning. [8]

Status

The northeast African mole-rat is common across most of its range and its population seems stable. It does not face any major threats and for these reasons, the IUCN lists it as being of "Least Concern" in its Red List of Threatened Species, although the IUCN has evaluated the species in the larger view of the East African mole-rat, lumping a number of species in the genus. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhizomyinae</span> Subfamily of rodents

The rodent subfamily Rhizomyinae includes the Asian bamboo rats and certain of the African mole-rats. The subfamily is grouped with the Spalacinae and the Myospalacinae into a family of fossorial muroid rodents basal to the other Muroidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naked mole-rat</span> Burrowing rodent; one of only two known eusocial rodents

The naked mole-rat, also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions. It is closely related to the blesmols and is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spalacidae</span> Family of rodents

The Spalacidae, or spalacids, are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. They are native to eastern Asia, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. It includes the blind mole-rats, bamboo rats, mole-rats, and zokors. This family represents the oldest split in the muroid superfamily, and comprises animals adapted to a subterranean way of life. These rodents were thought to have evolved adaptations to living underground independently until recent genetic studies demonstrated they form a monophyletic group. Members of the Spalacidae are often placed in the family Muridae along with all other members of the Muroidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind mole-rat</span> Subfamily of rodents

The blind mole-rats, also known as the fossorial or subterranean mole rats, are a subfamily (Spalacinae) of rodents in the family Spalacidae, found in eastern Europe and western & central Asia. The hystricognath mole-rats of the family Bathyergidae are completely unrelated, but some other forms are also in the family Spalacidae. Zokors, root rats, and bamboo rats are spalacids also sometimes referred to as mole rats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blesmol</span> Family of rodents

The blesmols, also known as mole-rats, or African mole-rats, are burrowing rodents of the family Bathyergidae. They represent a distinct evolution of a subterranean life among rodents much like the pocket gophers of North America, the tuco-tucos in South America, or the Spalacidae from Eurasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damaraland mole-rat</span> Species of eusocial burrowing rodent from southern Africa (Fukomys damarensis)

The Damaraland mole-rat, Damara mole rat or Damaraland blesmol, is a burrowing rodent found in southern Africa. Along with the smaller, less hairy, naked mole rat, it is a species of eusocial mammal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The Cape mole-rat is a species of mole-rat endemic to South Africa. It is the only extant species currently described as belonging to the genus Georychus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red rock rat</span> Species of rodent

The red rock rat, or red veld rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae native to southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tete veld aethomys</span> Species of rodent

The Tete veld aethomys or Tete veld rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, shrubland, and grassland. The common name refers to the type locality, Tete, on the Zambesi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape dune mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The Cape dune mole-rat is a species of solitary burrowing rodent in the family Bathyergidae. It is endemic to South Africa and named for the Cape of Good Hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant blind mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The giant blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae endemic to the North Caucasus region of Russia. It feeds on roots and tubers and lives underground in a burrow that it digs with its teeth.

The Bukovina blind mole-rat or (erroneously) the Balkan blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

<i>Tachyoryctes</i> Genus of rodents

Tachyoryctes is a genus of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It contains the following species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big-headed African mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The big-headed African mole rat, also known as the giant root-rat, Ethiopian African mole rat, or giant mole rat, is a rodent species in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, where it can reach densities of up to 2,600 individuals per square kilometre. It is threatened by habitat loss. Where the two species overlap, it is the main prey of the endangered Ethiopian wolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King African mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The King African mole-rat, King mole-rat, or Alpine mole-rat, is a burrowing rodent in the genus Tachyoryctes of family Spalacidae. It only occurs high on Mount Kenya, where it is common. Originally described as a separate species related to Aberdare Mountains African mole-rat, in 1910, some classify it as the same species as the East African mole-rat,.

The Rwanda mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The common mole-rat, African mole-rat, or Hottentot mole-rat, is a burrowing rodent found in Southern Africa, in particular in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It also occurs in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is a species in the subfamily Bathyerginae.

East African mole-rat has been split into the following species:

Mehely's blind mole-rat is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania.

The Oltenia blind mole-rat is a critically endangered, possibly extinct species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cassola, F. (2017). "Tachyoryctes splendens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T21299A22275532. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T21299A22275532.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. ↑ Van Wassenbergh, Sam; Heindryckx, Stef; Adriaens, Dominique (2017-12-01). "Kinematics of chisel-tooth digging by African mole-rats". The Journal of Experimental Biology. 220 (23): 4479–4485. doi: 10.1242/jeb.164061 . ISSN   0022-0949. PMID   28982966.
  4. ↑ Onyono, P.N.; Kavoi, B.M.; Kiama, S.G.; Makanya, A.N. (October 2017). "Functional Morphology of the Olfactory Mucosa and Olfactory Bulb in Fossorial Rodents: The East African Root Rat ( Tachyoryctes splendens ) and the Naked Mole Rat ( Heterocephalus glaber )". Tissue and Cell. 49 (5): 612–621. doi:10.1016/j.tice.2017.07.005. PMID   28780992.
  5. ↑ Jarvis, Jennifer U. M. (1973). "The structure of a population of mole-rats, Tachyoryctes splendens, (Rodentia: Rhizomyidae)". Journal of Zoology. 171 (1): 1–14. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1973.tb07512.x.
  6. ↑ Katandukila, J. V.; Faulkes, C. G.; Chimimba, C. T.; Bennett, N. C. (2013). "Reproduction in the East African root rat (Tachyoryctes splendens; Rodentia: Spalacidae) from Tanzania: the importance of rainfall". Journal of Zoology. 291 (4): 258–268. doi:10.1111/jzo.12067. hdl: 2263/42475 .
  7. ↑ Hickman, Graham C. (1983). "Burrows, surface movement, and swimming of Tachyoryctes splendens (Rodentia: Rhizomyidae) during flood conditions in Kenya". Journal of Zoology. 200 (1): 71–82. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1983.tb06109.x.
  8. ↑ Hrouzková, E., Dvořáková, V., Jedlička, P. et al. Seismic communication in demon African mole rat Tachyoryctes daemon from Tanzania. J Ethol 31, 255–259 (2013) doi:10.1007/s10164-013-0374-0
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