Greater blind mole-rat
| Greater Mole Rat | |
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| Species: | S. microphthalmus
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| Binomial name | |
| Spalax microphthalmus Guldenstaedt, 1770
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The Greater Mole Rat (Spalax microphthalmus) is a species of rodent in the Spalacidae family. It is found in Russia and Ukraine.
Description
The Greater Mole Rat is tail-less. The eyes are covered by a membrane of skin and have atrophied lens cells enclosed in a vesicle and a retinal layer. It has prominent incisor teeth, which are used for burrowing. The fur is greyish, but can vary in color. It can grow to a size of 31 cm and weigh up to 570 g. Its dental formula is 1/1, 0/0, 0/0, 3/3. [1]
=Behavior
The Common Hamster is a nocturnal or crepuscular species. It lives solitarily, except during the breeding season. Due to its atrophied eyes it is totally blind.
References
- ^ MacDonald, David (1993). Mammals of Britain & Europe. Vol. 1. London: HarperCollins. p. 239. ISBN 0002197790.
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- Amori, G. 1996. Spalax microphthalmus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 July 2007.
- Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
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