Mammals
Damaraland Mole-Rat
Fukomys damarensis · also called Damaraland mole rat
Deep within an extensive underground tunnel network, a colony of Damaraland mole-rats works cooperatively under the direction of a single breeding queen, one of only two mammal species on Earth known to organise its entire society this way.
Overview
The Damaraland mole-rat, Fukomys damarensis, is a colony-dwelling, underground rodent native to desert and grassland habitat across parts of southern Africa. Its status as one of only two known eusocial mammal species, queen-suppressed reproductive structure, and large cooperative digging colonies make it one of the most socially extraordinary mammals found anywhere in the world.
A mammal that lives like an insect colony
Sharing a social structure more commonly associated with ants and termites than mammals, the Damaraland mole-rat’s queen-led colonies represent one of only two known instances of true eusociality ever documented outside the insect world.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable desert and grassland habitat throughout parts of southern Africa.
Damaraland Mole-Rat: common questions
What does it mean that the Damaraland mole-rat is eusocial?
This species is one of only two mammal species known to be truly eusocial, meaning it lives in colonies with a single reproductive queen and a strict division of labour among the remaining members, a social structure otherwise seen mainly in insects like ants, bees, and termites.
How does the Damaraland mole-rat queen prevent other females from breeding?
This species has a colony structure in which the breeding queen suppresses reproduction in other female colony members, likely through a combination of behavioural dominance and scent cues that keep non-breeding females in a reproductively suppressed state for as long as the queen remains in charge.
How is the Damaraland mole-rat different from the naked mole-rat?
This species is somewhat larger and more visibly haired than the naked mole-rat, the only other known eusocial mammal, though both species share a broadly similar underground, colony-based lifestyle centred on cooperative tunnel digging and foraging.
Why did the Damaraland mole-rat evolve to live in large cooperative colonies?
This species forages cooperatively for tubers that tend to be unpredictably scattered underground, a foraging challenge believed to have favoured the evolution of large, cooperative digging colonies capable of covering more ground collectively than any individual could manage alone.