What If You Could Go As Fast As You Went?

What if being naked isn't nuttiest adaptation of the naked mole rat? Discover what is and more!

What: The naked mole rat has adapted the ability to move as fast forward as backward!

Who: Who's leading the way in learning more about the naked mole rat? The Dallas Zoo, that's who is doing a whole lot of cool research on the naked mole rat!

When: When does a naked mole rat's teeth stop growing? How about never! This means, regardless which direction a naked mole rat is heading, it's almost always chewing on something--even concrete! (Know any other animals with always-growing teeth?)

Where: When it comes to animal adaptations, the naked mole rat may not be as snazzy as being able to breath out of your butt, but the naked mole rat's ability to back it up as quickly as it can floor it going forward sure comes in handy considering naked mole rats spend most of their time scurrying through underground tunnels.

How: How do nearly blind animals like the naked mole rat live together so well in such tight spaces... underground? They're super organized; from where they pee to how they structure their society, everything is designed to flow in predictable ways.

Why: Why would you ever want to go as fast backwards as you can go forwards?

Huh?: Ever wonder why more animals don't motor like the naked mole rat, going as fast forward as they do backward? How do you think your perspective on looking or thinking back on things would change if your ability to move backward changed?

Wow!: What if the naked mole rat is buried treasure? Scientist are currently researching naked mole rats as potentially holding the key to curing cancer.

Keep getting curious about animals with The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and it's free Educator's Guide!

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