Researchers revealed that naked mole rats could survive even when the level of oxygen is very low. Moreover, they can live without oxygen at all for 18 minutes. Isn’t that impressive? This animal is naked, having no fur, only a few hairs. This is the only cold-blooded mammal which usually lives in underground tunnels. These tunnels are dug in a complex way, forming colonies of hundreds of individuals which are led by a queen. The naked mole rats’ queen is accompanied by some male consorts, also having soldiers and workers.
- Scientists discovered something amazing about naked mole rats.
- They unveiled that these cold-blooded mammals are able to live with no oxygen at all for 18 minutes.
- Moreover, they can survive with only 5% oxygen for five hours.
Recently, scientists discovered that this mammal could get cancer. They found two mole rats in a lab which were suffering from this disease. Nevertheless, this is not the weirdest thing about them. Researchers also revealed that these creatures are capable of surviving for 18 minutes with no oxygen at all. Naked mole rats can survive for more than five hours in an atmosphere very poor in oxygen, like 5%.
The average level of oxygen in the atmosphere is 20%. Specialists have also tested mice, and they revealed that they could survive for just one minute without oxygen and approximately 15 minutes with 5% oxygen. Thomas Park, a researcher at the University of Illinois, Chicago, argued that he decided to stop the test after five hours, but he does not actually know for how long these creatures might survive.
Dr. Park was engaged in studying animals since 1999, and he worked with an international team of researchers to reveal this mammal’s secret. Park together with Gary R. Lewin and Jane Reznick at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin have published their findings in naked mole rats on April 20, in the journal Science.( http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/307 ) researchers revealed that mole rats tend to switch from one form of energy metabolism to another.
They fuel their cells with glucose, just like other mammals do. But, as far as scientists know, this particular process requires oxygen. Mole rats switch to another type of biochemical process which utilizes fructose. For that, they do not need oxygen at all.
Their heart rate is lowered as well as their breathing when switching one system for another. Even if these conditions seem very harsh, this creature can survive.
Image source: flickr