ZooWeird 54

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Naked Mole Rat: Arguably one of the world's strangest mammals, combining a number of crazy and unique traits that no other mammal has. Some of these traits include a lack of pain sensation, very low metabolic and respiratory rates and an apparent immunity to cancer. Interestingly, they are also one of the handful eusocial mammals we know, meaning that they form societies similar to those of ants and termites. The species is native to the drier parts of the tropical grasslands of East Africa, occurring throughout most of Somalia, central Ethiopia, and much of northern and eastern Kenya, extending as far south as the eastern border of Tsavo West National Park and the town of Voi.  The species has also been recorded in Djibouti, indicating that it has a wider range than the one currently known. It has an altitudinal range, starting from 400 to 1,500 m. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2010/12/naked-mole-rat.html#ixzz4WL7IPc00)

So which I worst? I wondered then.

To be a rat? Or naked? Or

A mole? I really don’t know when

I’ve faced such awkward faunal lore.

And so I asked one: “Which is worst?”

He looked at me—a puzzled face--

And then replied—okay, he cursed:

“You humans are just pure disgrace!

“You think that ‘normal’ means just you.

You ridicule what’s not the same.

So here is what I think we’ll do

We’ll give to you a stupid name!”

(Hmmm … what would be some good ones?)