Naked Mole-Rats (Nature Watch)

An introduction to the science of the animal world explains which animal is the stupidest, why vultures have bald heads, how vampire bats suck blood, and other unusual mysteries

Gr 4-7--What animal gives birth and nurses its young like a mammal, controls its body temperature like a reptile, and lives in a colony with one breeding female like a social insect? A most peculiar, quite ugly, and rather fascinating critter--the naked mole rat. The authors' interest in their topic is obvious, and the result is an informative text enhanced (if not beautified) by many crisp full-color photos of a naked mole rat colony going about its daily business: enlarging the network of tunnels; searching blindly for food; guarding the burrow against predators; sleeping in a communal nest like a pile of small, wrinkled hot-water bottles. Unlovely when compared to other rodents such as the dainty deer mouse or the massive capybara, naked mole rats have redeeming characteristics, as the authors reveal when showing that their strange physical and social manifestations allow them to survive in a harsh habitat where their "cuter" cousins would perish. This is for a younger audience than the authors' The Naked Mole-Rat Mystery (Lerner, 1996); while many of the same photos appear in both books, they meet informational needs on widely different reading/research levels. An interesting peephole into a supremely specialized way of life (with a high "ick" factor to boot).

Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.