[OT] Naked Molerats (potential alien material) was RE: Status of the 15mm Hammer's Slammer's Figs...

G'day,

> I can't remember all the details, but I seem

Yep they are eusocial like those hive insects, with anywhere between 50
and a few hundred in the community - workers, non-workers (of many
castes, one lot even seem to be guards) and a single reproductive "Queen".
They have a central communal nest and then a whole heap of other chambers and
tunnels that are used as nurseries, larders, sleeping chambers, warm rooms and
food gathering sites. They don't need access to
water (luckily given they're most common in Somalia and Ethiopia) - they
get all the moisture they need in their food. One of the coolest things is
they work in teams, like a bucket brigade but with soil.

As for their teeth, their big incisors are for digging and sit outside their
lips to avoid getting grit in their mouth, really quite ingenious.

Their unusual appearance in combination with their social lives is why I've
always thought they'd make for a great alien species basis;)

Cheers