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The ontogeny and distribution of countershading in colonies of the naked mole‐rat ( Heterocephalus glaber )
Author(s) -
Braude Stanton,
Ciszek Deborah,
Berg Nancy E.,
Shefferly Nancy
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1017/s0952836901000322
Subject(s) - biology , burrow , camouflage , zoology , ontogeny , dorsum , thermoregulation , mole , anatomy , ecology , endocrinology , biochemistry
Most naked mole‐rats Heterocephalus glaber are countershaded, with purple‐grey dorsal but pale pink ventral skin. The exceptions to this coloration pattern are uniformly pink, and include newborn pups, most queens and breeding males, and very old animals. Countershading begins to appear at 2–3 weeks of age and begins to disappear at c. 7 years of age. Countershading may provide camouflage when young naked mole‐rats are above ground attempting to disperse. Therefore, reproductives and older workers may lose this coloration once they are unlikely to leave the burrow. Alternative hypotheses for pigmentation that we considered include: thermoregulation, and protection from abrasion or from damaging ultraviolet radiation. These hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but do lead to different predictions regarding the development of pigmentation and which colony members should be countershaded.