Golan Heights blind mole-rat

Golan Heights blind mole-rat

Middle East blind mole-rat

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Spalax golani

The Middle East blind mole-rat or Palestine mole-rat (Nannospalax ehrenbergi ) is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae.

Appearance

The Middle East blind mole-rat weighs 100–200 grams (3.5–7.1 oz). It has light gray fur and four sharp teeth, two large teeth in the upper jaw and two smaller teeth in the lower jaw. It has a life span of up to 20 years and is notable for its adaptability to severe lack of oxygen. In Israel, the blind mole-rat is a major agricultural pest. It digs long tunnels up to 80 centimeters deep and stores onions and tubers in underground chambers. The exceptional ecological adaptation strategies of the blind mole-rats can be seen in their different tongue morphologies, as evidenced by their tongue papillae. The tongue papillae differ between individuals in a species to adapt to different environmental regions with variant soil characteristics and food types.

Distribution

Geography

N. ehrenbergi is found in Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and the Levant (Israel, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon). The natural habitat of the mole is Mediterranean-type shrubbish vegetation, and it is threatened by habitat loss.

References

1. Golan Heights blind mole-rat Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights_blind_mole-rat

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