naked mole rat

noun

: a mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber of the family Bathyergidae) found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya that has nearly hairless wrinkled skin and is practically blind

Examples of naked mole rat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the cell's ability to make a difference in the animal's longevity was still too tiny to explain why naked mole rats live so much longer than other rodents. Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2023 These include such animals as the bowhead whale—with its 200-year lifespan—and the naked mole rat—which can live 30 years, while similar rodents live just a few. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 Aug. 2023 To figure out how to stop the cellular aging process in its tracks, humans need to be a bit more like a naked mole rat. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 Aug. 2023 On this day, the Underzone closed as keepers introduced a new colony of naked mole rats. Jamie Landers, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023 After the algorithms suggested that naked mole rat colonies all had distinct dialects, Dr. Barker and her colleagues confirmed that the rodents were far more likely to respond to soft chirps from members of their own colonies than those from foreign ones. Emily Anthes, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2022 So what does kill a naked mole rat? Max G. Levy, Wired, 24 May 2021 And the ice borer itself was just a fantastic twist on a hardly more believable animal, the Namibian naked mole rat, a nearly blind mammal that has a social structure like an ant’s. Paul Hoffman, Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2011 Researchers estimate that only one of every 15 of a naked mole rat's sperm can actually swim. Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'naked mole rat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of naked mole rat was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near naked mole rat

Cite this Entry

“Naked mole rat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naked%20mole%20rat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

naked mole rat

noun
: a burrowing rodent of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya that resembles a mole, has nearly hairless wrinkled skin, and is practically blind
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