Q 01/05

What do naked mole-rats mainly use to dig their tunnels through hard-packed soil?

A) Their front claws

B) Their teeth

C) Their snouts

D) Their hind feet

Answer · why

B) Their teeth

Their teeth do the digging, and their lips close behind them so no soil gets into the mouth while they work.

Q 02/05

Medical researchers prize naked mole-rats for their remarkable resistance to which disease?

A) Malaria

B) Rabies

C) Cancer

D) Diabetes

Answer · why

C) Cancer

Cancer is so rare in the species that years of watching large colonies found no cases at all. The first two tumours ever recorded were only reported i...

Q 03/05

Unlike nearly every other mammal, naked mole-rats share which trait with lizards and frogs?

A) Laying eggs

B) Shedding their skin

C) Regrowing lost tails

D) Being cold-blooded

Answer · why

D) Being cold-blooded

Being cold-blooded, in effect: a naked mole-rat's body temperature drifts with its surroundings, so chilly animals huddle in a pile or bask in sun-war...

Q 04/05

To get more nutrients out of tough, hard-to-digest meals, naked mole-rats regularly eat what?

A) Their own poop

B) Mineral-rich soil

C) Small pebbles

D) Dry grass stems

Answer · why

A) Their own poop

Their own poop gets a second trip through the gut so nothing is wasted. Workers also feed it to pups once the queen's milk stops after about a month.

Q 05/05

Which Disney Channel cartoon features Rufus, a naked mole-rat who rides in Ron Stoppable's pocket?

A) Phineas and Ferb

B) Kim Possible

C) The Proud Family

D) American Dragon

Answer · why

B) Kim Possible

Kim Possible takes Rufus along on the teenage hero's missions with her sidekick Ron, and a New York Times review singled the mole-rat out for praise.