The Animal That Hardly Ages
In the dry soils of East Africa lives a hairless, almost blind rodent that lives for over 30 years, barely seems to age, rarely gets cancer, and feels no pain from acid.
What was reported
The naked mole-rat lives in large underground colonies in the dry regions of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. It's pink, wrinkled and almost hairless, with huge front teeth that can move independently.
It's one of the strangest mammals known. Its colonies are run like those of bees, with a single breeding queen. It can survive for minutes without oxygen, doesn't feel some types of pain, rarely gets cancer, and lives for more than 30 years, far longer than other rodents its size, while its risk of dying hardly increases with age.
Explanations offered
Scientists are studying its unusual biology for clues to ageing and cancer. Its slow metabolism, efficient repair of its cells and the low-oxygen life underground may all play a part.
- When
- Studied since the 1970s
- Where
- Somali Region, Ethiopia
- Witnesses
- Biologists
- Status
- Partly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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