Big-headed Mole Rat
Encyclopedia
Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, also known as the Big-headed Mole Rat, Giant Root-rat, Ethiopian African Mole Rat, or Giant Mole-rat, is a species of rodent
in the Spalacidae
family.
It is endemic to Ethiopia
's Bale Mountains
. Its natural habitat
is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
, where it can reach densities of up to 2,600 individuals per square kilometre. It is threatened by habitat loss. Where the two species overlap it is the main food item of the endangered Ethiopian Wolf
(Canis simensis).
Big-headed mole-rats are highly distinctive in their large size, especially that of their heads. They are a mottled golden-brown in colour, and are soft-furred.
While the other mole rats not only live, but also feed, underground this species mostly forages above ground, by digging a new tunnel to a patch of herbage. It forages for about twenty minutes, until it has exhausted the supply of herbs about its tunnel, after which it blocks the tunnel it has built from the inside. It mostly eats grasses and herbs, with some individuals feeding mostly on roots. It retains its specialisations for digging tunnels because of the constant threat of predators, especially the Ethiopian Wolf, which is specialised to a diet of mole-rats. Ethiopian Wolves
catch mole-rats by ambushing them after they have constructed a new foraging tunnel, chasing them into their tunnel, and then vigilantly waiting for them to resurface. These mole-rats have evolved defenses other than flight, though, being very cautious, and having incisors large enough to severely injure potential predators.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the Spalacidae
Spalacidae
The Spalacidae, or spalacids are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. They are native to eastern Asia, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and south-eastern Europe. It includes the blind mole rats, bamboo rats, root rats, and zokors...
family.
It is endemic to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
's Bale Mountains
Bale Mountains
The Bale Mountains are a range of mountains in the Oromia Region of southeast Ethiopia, south of the Awash River. They include Tullu Demtu, the second-highest mountain in Ethiopia , and Mount Batu . The Weyib River, a tributary of the Jubba River, rises in these mountains east of Goba...
. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, where it can reach densities of up to 2,600 individuals per square kilometre. It is threatened by habitat loss. Where the two species overlap it is the main food item of the endangered Ethiopian Wolf
Ethiopian Wolf
The Ethiopian wolf , also known as the Abyssinian wolf, Abyssinian fox, red jackal, Simien fox, or Simien jackal is a canid native to Africa...
(Canis simensis).
Big-headed mole-rats are highly distinctive in their large size, especially that of their heads. They are a mottled golden-brown in colour, and are soft-furred.
While the other mole rats not only live, but also feed, underground this species mostly forages above ground, by digging a new tunnel to a patch of herbage. It forages for about twenty minutes, until it has exhausted the supply of herbs about its tunnel, after which it blocks the tunnel it has built from the inside. It mostly eats grasses and herbs, with some individuals feeding mostly on roots. It retains its specialisations for digging tunnels because of the constant threat of predators, especially the Ethiopian Wolf, which is specialised to a diet of mole-rats. Ethiopian Wolves
Ethiopian Wolf
The Ethiopian wolf , also known as the Abyssinian wolf, Abyssinian fox, red jackal, Simien fox, or Simien jackal is a canid native to Africa...
catch mole-rats by ambushing them after they have constructed a new foraging tunnel, chasing them into their tunnel, and then vigilantly waiting for them to resurface. These mole-rats have evolved defenses other than flight, though, being very cautious, and having incisors large enough to severely injure potential predators.