Abstract
Mole rats inhabit extensive individual tunnel systems. Since the energetic cost of burrowing far exceeds that of surface locomotion, excellent orientation ability is crucial. Here we examined whether mole rats can bypass an obstacle (ditch) intersecting an existing tunnel in order to rejoin the two tunnel sections. The mole rats dug two bypass types, depending on the size of the obstacle confronting them: a bypass around the small ditches, parallel and close to the ditch walls; or a bypass beneath the floor of the large ditches. These results demonstrate that the mole rat has the ability to avoid obstacles by digging accurate and energy-conserving bypass tunnels. In order to utilize such a capacity, the mole rat must possess both the means to evaluate the size of the obstacle as well as the ability to perceive its exact position relative to the original tunnel that it will rejoin. Possible mechanisms of orientation that could explain such ability are briefly discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Arieli R (1990) Adaptation of the mammalian gas transport system to subterranean life. In: Nevo E, Reig OA (eds) Evolution of subterranean mammals at the organismal and molecular levels: progress in clinical and biological research. Alan R Liss, New York, pp 251–268
Brett RA (1991) The population structure of naked mole-rat colonies. In: Sherman PW, Jarvis JUM, Alexander RD (eds) The biology of the naked mole-rat. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., pp 97–136
Eloff G (1951) Orientation in the mole-rat Cryptomys. Br J Psychol 42:134–145
Galil J (1960) Propagation of Oxalis pes-caprae bulbs by the mole rat. Mada 4:66–71
Gallistel CR (1990) The organization of learning. Cambridge, MA, Bradford Books/MIT Press
Giger RD (1973) Movements and homing in Townsend's mole near Tillamook, Oregon. J Mammal 54:648–659
Heth G (1989) Burrow patterns of the mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi in two soil types (terra-rossa and rendzina) in Mount Carmel, Israel. J Zool 217:39–56
Heth G (1991) The environmental impact of subterranean mole rats (Spalax ehrenbergi) and their burrows. Symp Zool Soc Lond 63:265–280
Heth G, Frankenburg E, Nevo E (1987) Vibrational communication in subterranean mole rats (Spalax ehrenbergi). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 21:31–33
Heth G, Golenberg EM, Nevo E (1989) Foraging strategy in subterranean rodent, Spalax ehrenbergi: a test case for optimal foraging theory. Oecologia 79:496–505
Howard WE, Childs HE (1959) Ecology of pocket gopher with emphasis on Thomomys bottae mewa. Hilgardia 29:277–358
Jarvis JUM, Sale JB (1971) Burrowing and burrow patterns of East African mole-rats Tachyoryctes, Heliophobius and Heterocephalus. J Zool 163:451–479
Kimchi T, Terkel J (2001) Spatial learning and memory in the blind mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi) in comparison with the laboratory rat and Levant vole. Anim Behav 61:171–180
Kimchi T, Terkel J (2002) Seeing and not seeing. Curr Opin Neurobiol 12:728–734
MacDonald D (1985) The encyclopedia of mammals. Allen and Unwin, London
O'Keefe J, Nadel L (1978) The hippocampus as a cognitive map. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Rado R, Levi N, Hauser H, Witcher J, Adler NI, Wollberg Z, Terkel J (1987) Seismic signaling as a means of communication in subterranean mammals. Anim Behav 35:1249–1251
Rado R, Terkel J, Wollberg Z (1998) Seismic communication signals in the blind mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi): electrophysiological and behavioral evidence for their processing by the auditory system. J Comp Physiol 183:503–511
Reichman OJ, Smith SC (1990) Burrows and burrowing behavior by mammals. In: Genoways HH (ed) Current mammalogy, vol 2. Plenum, New York, pp 197–243
Vleck D (1979) The energy cost of burrowing by the pocket gopher Thomomys bottae. Physiol Zool 52:391–396
Vleck D (1981) Burrow structure and foraging cost in the fossorial rodent Thomomys bottae. Oecologia 49:391–396
Zuri I, Terkel J (1996) Locomotor patterns, territory, and tunnel utilization in the mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi. J Zool 240:123–140
Acknowledgements
We deeply appreciate the help of Dr. A. Terkel and Ms. N. Paz in preparing and editing the manuscript and Prof. D. Wool for the statistical advice. We thank Dr. R. Rado for contributing some of his own data to the data gathered in the field, and Prof. Z. Wollberg for his contribution to our earlier studies.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kimchi, T., Terkel, J. Mole rats (Spalax ehrenbergi) select bypass burrowing strategies in accordance with obstacle size. Naturwissenschaften 90, 36–39 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-002-0383-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-002-0383-2