The Egyptian blind mole rat lives in burrows under the ground, which are typically around 40 centimetres in length and 46 centimetres deep, and consist of different compartments, such as food storage and nesting areas (2) (8). While using the forelimbs to scrape away the soil and the head to compact much of the soil to the sides, the Egyptian blind mole rat also pushes lots of soil upwards, resulting in mounds at the surface that can reach 20 centimetres in height (2). Producing these extensive burrows is a highly energy-demanding activity and the oxygen levels underground are low; therefore, the Egyptian blind mole rat’s muscles are adapted to use oxygen efficiently (9).
The Egyptian blind mole rat uses scent to mark the borders of its burrows, and male mole rats are deterred from entering a burrow if it has been marked by another male (10). If individuals do meet they are probably very aggressive, although this has only currently been observed in Egyptian blind mole rats in captivity (2). Interestingly, it has been found that the Egyptian blind mole rat navigates its way through the underground tunnels using the earth’s magnetic field (8).
Spending nearly all its time below ground, the Egyptian blind mole rat forages for plant parts growing amongst the soil, such as roots, bulbs and tubers (2). During the summer months, when temperatures soar, the Egyptian blind mole rat burrows deeper into the ground (up to 120 centimetres deep), to cooler soils. This far from the surface there is very little to eat, so the Egyptian blind mole rat gathers and hoards food in the winter months to store for the summer (11). Only occasionally does the Egyptian blind mole rat venture above ground, to collect leaves from some plants, such as Asphodelus microcarpus, to search for a new territory, or to find a mate (2).
On average, the female Egyptian blind mole rat produces one litter every year, commonly between January and March. A typical litter contains three or four young, although some litters may be as large as nine (12). Individuals communicate with each other to initiate mating, using a fairly loud, low frequency call. The Egyptian blind mole rat is also capable of making five other types of call, described as distress, threat, attack, invitation and crying calls (13), all of which are of low frequency; due to its poor hearing and underground habitat, it cannot hear high frequencies (14). As well as producing vocal calls, it is thought that the Egyptian blind mole rat can also communicate by tapping its head on the tunnel walls. There is evidence that other individuals hear these sounds when they press their lower jaw against the side of the burrow and the sound waves travel through the bones of the jaw to the inner ear, in a process known as ‘seismic communication’ (15).