Naked mole-rats are certainly not the prettiest animal you can find on the planet. They are small, shrivelled, blind and, as the name implies, completely hairless. Fur is also not necessary for them. They live underground and it is warm enough in their narrow tunnels and corridors. Nevertheless, a naked mole-rat leads an extremely interesting life, more than what one would expect in its tiny wrinkled appearance.
For a start, they live in colonies similar to ants, which is pretty unusual for mammals. A single female is the queen and only she produces the offspring. The rest of her subjects participate in daily work such as digging paths, searching for food and protecting the colony from enemies. For that, they possess large incisors with which they can make very painful bites.
But there’s something else that makes them stand out from all other vertebrates… They feel no pain! Their skin lacks the substance P that is responsible for the feeling of pain. The reason for this is still a mystery, but it is clear that these small rodents do not find cuts, bites and burns particularly painful. They do notice these interferences, but pain is foreign to them. This is certainly helpful for the little naked beasts living underground where even corrosive gases are known to form.
As you can see, even if they are not exactly pleasing to the eyes, they do lead an extraordinarily exciting life!
Copyright and Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacktmull#Schmerzunempfindlichkeit
