2. Mole Rat By: Melissa Gnaw, gnaw! I’m going through the dirt gnawing. Do you know who I am? Here are your hints! I have hard teeth that keep growing longer. I am warm blooded, I can be found in three different places. In Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. And I eat tops of plants, roots and tubers. That’s right! I am a Mole Rat!

3. Classification Do you know what is warm blooded and has little hairs!? That’s right, a Mole Rat! First you need to know that I am a Mole Rat and I am a mammal. I am in the rodent group. Me, the Mole Rat is born live. You should know that when I am born I drink my mothers milk. I also breathe with lungs. Did you know that I have little hairs for body covering? Now you do! You should also know that I barley have any hair.

4. Habitat arid Almost every living thing has a habitat. But do you know where the my habitat is. Well now you should know that me, the Mole Rat, can be found in 3 different places. That is Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. These are drier parts of tropical grasslands in the East of Africa. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are all bunched together in the East of Africa. The Mole Rat likes arid places. Word Box Arid Arid – Dry land without much rain

5. Adaptations I have lots and lots of physical adaptations. Here are some of the physical adaptations. You should really know that my teeth (just like us) have a hard coating of enamel on their teeth. My teeth are much more harder than yours. Unlike your teeth my teeth keep on growing longer and longer. When I gnaw the new tooth material is there to replace what goes away. Cool, right? Also me, the Mole Rats mouth is closed behind my teeth. I, the Mole Rat, have space between my front teeth and my molars. I suck in my cheeks too! When I gnaw I seal out nutshells, woodchips and dirt. Now you should know how I look. I have lots of wrinkles. The wrinkles make me look like an elephant. With the long teeth it makes me look like a walrus. I am a walrus / elephant!

6. Diet and Food ENTIRE Every living thing eats food. Today you get to hear what I eat. I eat the tops of plants. I will also eat roots of plants. Me, the Mole Rat will also eat tubers! Only one large tuber can feed an ENTIRE colony for many years. Yummy, yummy!

7. Life Cycle Every living thing is born, grows, turns into an adult and reproduces. After that it dies. This is called a life cycle. Do you want to hear about my life cycle? Here it is. The queen takes care of the me and other Mole Rat babies for only one month. The queen can live to be 13 or 18 years old.

8. I now want to go back to Ethiopia in the arid places. Where I can eat tops of plants. Got to start gnawing. Rats and Mice by Sandra Markle What is a Mammal? By Bobbie Kalman http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/naked-mole-rat/ http://www.answers.com/topic/common-mole-rat http://www.jstor.org/pss/1377935 http://www.zooatlanta.org/home/animals/mammals/naked_mole_rat http://www.answers.com/topic/african-mole-rats-bathyergidae-biological-family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole_rat