Behavioral Tracking for Naked Mole-Rat
Heterocephalus glaber
ConductVision delivers automated tracking of naked mole-rat cooperative digging, caste behavior, and pain insensitivity. Quantify eusocial work division, tunnel building, and thermal preference in Heterocephalus glaber.
Why Naked Mole-Rat in Behavioral Research
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is the only known eusocial mammal, living in insect-like colonies with a reproductive queen, workers, and soldiers. Their extraordinary resistance to cancer, aging, and pain makes them a frontier model spanning behavioral ecology, gerontology, and pain neuroscience. Cooperative tunnel digging, caste-specific behavioral repertoires, and unique pain insensitivity provide behavioral endpoints found in no other mammalian model.
Jarvis JU. (1981). Eusociality in a mammal: cooperative breeding in naked mole-rat colonies. Science, 212(4494), 571-573. PMID: 7209555
Park TJ, et al. (2017). Fructose-driven glycolysis supports anoxia resistance in the naked mole-rat. Science, 356(6335), 307-311. PMID: 28428423
Holmes MM, et al. (2009). Social control of brain morphology in a eusocial mammal. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 106(25), 10548-10552. PMID: 19520830
What We Measure in Naked Mole-Rat
Validated assays with quantitative parameter tracking for Heterocephalus glaber.
Naked mole-rats cooperatively excavate tunnel systems using a chain-gang relay system. Dig rate, bout duration, caste contribution, and coordination efficiency quantify cooperative labor division.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dig rate | cm/hour | Tunnel extension speed |
| Digging bout duration | min | Work episode length |
| Caste-specific contribution | % total | Worker vs non-worker effort |
| Chain-gang coordination | efficiency ratio | Multi-animal digging relay |
Jarvis JU. (1981). Eusociality in a mammal: cooperative breeding in naked mole-rat colonies. Science, 212(4494), 571-573. PMID: 7209555
Colony members cooperatively transport food items to central stores. Transport frequency, group vs individual effort, and transport efficiency reveal cooperative division of labor.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Transport events | count/hour | Food moving frequency |
| Group vs individual transport | ratio | Cooperative vs solo |
| Efficiency (distance/time) | cm/min | Transport speed |
Jarvis JU. (1981). Eusociality in a mammal: cooperative breeding in naked mole-rat colonies. Science, 212(4494), 571-573. PMID: 7209555
Like eusocial insects, naked mole-rats show caste-specific behavior. Work time budgets, behavioral diversity, and queen-directed dominance interactions reveal the structure of mammalian eusociality.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Work time per caste | hours/day | Activity budgets |
| Behavioral diversity index | Shannon H' | Repertoire breadth |
| Queen-directed aggression | events/hour | Dominance maintenance |
| Reproductive suppression behavior | events/day | Queen → subordinate |
Holmes MM, et al. (2009). Social control of brain morphology in a eusocial mammal. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 106(25), 10548-10552. PMID: 19520830
Naked mole-rats are uniquely insensitive to capsaicin pain and acid pain — adaptations to their high-CO2 tunnel environment. Absent capsaicin and acid responses, and reduced formalin responses, make them a unique pain research model.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Capsaicin response | latency to lick/s | Absent in NMR (unique) |
| Acid response | withdrawal latency/s | Insensitive to acid pain |
| Formalin response | licking time/s | Reduced vs mice |
Park TJ, et al. (2017). Fructose-driven glycolysis supports anoxia resistance in the naked mole-rat. Science, 356(6335), 307-311. PMID: 28428423
Naked mole-rats are functionally ectothermic and actively thermoregulate through behavioral means including huddling and zone selection. Selected temperature and social thermoregulation are unique among mammals.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Selected temperature | °C | Ectotherm-like preference |
| Huddling behavior | group size/temp | Social thermoregulation |
| Thermotaxis speed | mm/s toward preferred zone | Navigation on gradient |
Jarvis JU. (1981). Eusociality in a mammal: cooperative breeding in naked mole-rat colonies. Science, 212(4494), 571-573. PMID: 7209555
ConductScience Hardware for Naked Mole-Rat Research
Transparent Tunnel System
Cooperative digging observation
Colony Observation Setup
Caste behavior monitoring
Pain Testing Apparatus
Nociception assays
Thermal Gradient Chamber
Temperature preference
Food Transport Arena
Cooperative behavior quantification
Citations & Further Reading
- Jarvis JU. (1981). Eusociality in a mammal: cooperative breeding in naked mole-rat colonies. Science, 212(4494), 571-573. PMID: 7209555
- Park TJ, et al. (2017). Fructose-driven glycolysis supports anoxia resistance in the naked mole-rat. Science, 356(6335), 307-311. PMID: 28428423
- Holmes MM, et al. (2009). Social control of brain morphology in a eusocial mammal. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 106(25), 10548-10552. PMID: 19520830
Other Model Systems
Discuss Your Naked Mole-Rat Research
Tell us about your models, assays, and experimental goals — we’ll show you how ConductVision fits your workflow.
