Naked Mole Rats: Who are They?

This unit in our STEAM class, called population, we learned different ways to organize living organisms. We learned about taxonomy, set theory, Venn diagrams, and ways to tell differences and similarities between organisms. For our Action Project, we chose an animal that could be found at our local zoo, and represent the taxonomy of that animal in different ways. I chose the naked mole rat, because it is one of my favorite animals. One of the hardest parts of this project for me was finding all of the levels of taxonomy that the naked mole rat is a part of, because it not as common as some other animals. I solved this problem by finding an organization called Small Mammals Specialist Group that had a lot of information about mole rats.

(Naked Mole Rat, Jedimentat44, 2008, flickr)

The organization system we use for all living things is called taxonomy. One way to show an organism's taxonomy is in binomial nomenclature. This means using two names, the genus name and the species name. The Naked Mole Rat's scientific name, or binomial nomenclature is Heterocephelus glaberIn taxonomy, we use seven different taxonomic levels that get more and more specific, from kingdom to species. This gif of my collage shows each taxonomic level in order and why the Naked Mole Rat was placed in that section.

(Naked Mole Rat MDS, 2016)

This is a Venn diagram that displays the similarities and differences between Pumas, researched by RDZ, and Naked Mole Rats. Outside of the circles are traits that do not apply to either of the animals. Where the two circles overlap mark the similarities, and each separate circle has traits that that animal has. For more information on the taxonomy of Pumas, you can read RDZ's blog.

(Venn Diagram RDZ, MDS, 2016)

Another way to cite organism's taxonomy is in the math language, using a system called set theory. In set theory, you can show certain things, elements, and which sets they are a part of. Here are some examples:

Naked Mole Rats= N

Amphibian = A

Rodents= R

Lives underground = U

Small ears= S

N ∈ A'
Naked mole rats are elements of not amphibians.

N ∈ R
Naked mole rats are elements of rodents.

U ∪ S = N
The union of living underground and having small ears is naked mole rats.

U ∩ S = N
The intersection of living underground and small ears is naked mole rats.

S ∩ A = N’
The intersection of small ears and amphibians is not naked mole rats.



Works Cited
"Heterocephalus Glaber." Animal Diversity Web. Animal Diversity Web, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
"Rodents: Family Bathyergidae." SmallMammals.org. Small Mammals Specialist Group. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.