Alone, in the dark: The extraordinary neuroethology of the solitary blind mole rat
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Figures
Figure 1
Phylogeny of mole rats and relatives subterranean and surface-dwelling rodents.
(A) Phylogenetic tree generated by TimeTree software (http://www.timetree.org) displaying the evolutionary divergence of the BMR in relation to primary rodent species mentioned in this review. (B) Naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) (C) Damaraland mole rat (Fukomys damarensis) (picture courtesy of Dr. Markus Zöttl) (D) Mouse (Mus musculus) (E) Prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) (picture courtesy of Prof. Larry Young) (F) Golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) (G) Blind mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi). Time of divergence is indicated on the time scale, in millions of years ago (MYA). The color of the circle in the icon of each rodent indicates the sociality level (solitary/social/eusocial) of the species. The location of the circle distinguishes surface-dwelling from subterranean rodents. Subterranean rodents were defined as such, if they spend most of their lives in sealed underground burrows ( Nevo, 1999).
Figure 2
Sensory perception and unique adaptations in the blind mole rat.
External morphology of the blind mole rat from a side (left) and front (right) view. Arrows point to key adaptive morphological features for sensory perception. Numbers indicate the corresponding sensory modality in the table below. The stimulus type, stimulus source, means of perception and type(s) of behavior are summarized. *Vibrational signals are perceived through the lower jaw and transmitted to the inner ear by means of bone conduction. Abbreviations: VNO, vomoronasal organ; MOE, main olfactory epithelium. Photo credit: Aviad Bar.
Figure 3
Experimental setups for the behavioral research of blind mole rats.
(A) Laboratory experiments: I. Schematic representation of an experimental tunnel system made of Perspex tubes, used for the first successful breeding of BMRs in the lab. Tubes were arranged to simulate two territories with a connecting, dirt-filled nest box for mating. II. A wheel-shaped maze used for a navigation study of BMRs, consisting of eight tubes (routes) radiating from a central circle. III. An experimental setup for studying dyadic interactions between BMRs. A tube connects two Perspex home cages, with a perforated divider preventing physical contact of the two animals. (B) A seminatural setup: a metal mesh cage fully enclosed underground, with a central metal mesh divider allowing naturalistic experiments of two individuals simultaneously. (C) Field experiments: Schematic representation and photo of a field experiment demonstrating a bypass tunnel (green arrow) dug by a wild blind mole rat, following seismic ‘echolocating’ detection of a barrier. The barrier comprised of a ditch created by the researchers, marked in the illustration, which blocked the original tunnel (red lines).
© 1996, Brill. Panel AI is adapted with permission from Figure 1a of Gazit et al., 1996. It is not covered by the CC-BY 4.0 license and further reproduction of this panel would need permission from the copyright holder.
© 2004, National Academy of Sciences. Panel AII is adapted with permission from Figure 1 of Kimchi et al., 2004. It is not covered by the CC-BY 4.0 license and further reproduction of this panel would need permission from the copyright holder.
© 2003, Elsevier Ltd. Panel C is adapted with permission from Figure 3 of Kimchi and Terkel, 2003a. It is not covered by the CC-BY 4.0 license and further reproduction of this panel would need permission from the copyright holder.
Figure 4
Typical social behaviors displayed by blind mole rats.
(A) An illustration of the ’social communication network' between BMRs in neighboring territories using seismic signaling. BMRs #1 and #2 are head drumming back and forth on the tunnel ceiling; BMR #3 is ‘jaw listening’ by pressing its jaw against the tunnel wall. (B) Courtship behavior: a male BMR sniffing the genitals of a female BMR as part of the courtship process during the mating season. (C) An aggressive encounter between an intruder and a territory holder, including teeth baring and biting. Aggressive encounters typically lead to injuries and/or death of one or both rivals.
Download links
A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Alone, in the dark: The extraordinary neuroethology of the solitary blind mole rat
eLife 11:e78295.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.78295
