#bathyergidae

Oh they're so silly! Thank you for bringing them to my attention!

Hanang Mole Rat Fukomys hanangensis

A mole rat from Tanzania, first described by science in 2017.

Blesmols, or African mole-rats, are a group of rodents adapted for mole-like burrowing. Closely related to the more famous naked mole-rat, these little mammals have reduced eyes and ears along with incisors that protrude out even when their mouths are closed, allowing them to excavate tunnels primarily using their teeth.

One of the earliest known fossil blesmols is Bathyergoides neotertiarius here, from the early Miocene of Namibia about 20 million years ago. For almost a century this species was known only from teeth and partial skull remains, but recently a partial skeleton was described giving us a better idea of its overall appearance and lifestyle.

Bathyergoides was a fairly large blesmol, around 25cm long (~10"), and was already specialized for tooth-digging with a skull very similar to modern forms. It had powerful muscular forelimbs that would have been used to push back loose soil while burrowing, but unlike its living relatives it also had a long tail and relatively slender hindlimb bones – with anatomy suggesting its legs were used more for stabilizing its posture than for actively digging.

It may have had a less subterranean lifestyle than modern blesmols, digging out extensive burrows but still foraging for food above ground in a similar manner to modern semi-fossorial rodents like giant pouched rats.

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Bathyergoides

Bathyergoides — вимерлий рід гризунів з Африки, який вважається спорідненим із сучасними землекоповими (Bathyergidae). Це єдиний представник родини Bathyergoididae. Скам’янілості Bathyergoides neotertiarius були знайдені в ранньоміоценовій формації Елізабет-Бей у Намібії.

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Mechow’s Mole-rat (Fukomys mechowii)

...a species of mole rat (Bathyergidae) that is native to Central Africa, its range extends from central Angola and northern Zambia to southern and eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and southwestern Tanzania. Some report it from Malawi as well, but this may be a different species. Mechow’s mole-rats typically inhabit moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Like some other mole-rat species, F. mechowii is a colonial species living in groups of 2-20+ individuals in underground colonies. 

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Mammalia-Rodentia-Bathyergidae-Fukomys-F. mechowii

Silvery Mole Rat (Heliophobius argenteocinereus)

...also known as the silvery blesmol or the silky mole rat, the silvery mole rat is a species of mole rat native to the savannas of southeastern Africa. Like other mole rats the silvery mole rat spends most of its life underground in extensive tunnel systems. This species is poorly studied and not much is known about its biology or reproductive habits, however they are known to be aggressive and change their burrow patterns seasonally.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Mammalia-Rodentia-Bathyergidae-Bathyerginae-Heliophobius-argenteocinereus