Friend or Foe? Naked Mole Rats Can Tell By A Unique Squeak
A new study shows that naked mole rats speak with distinct dialects that appear to be learned — and reveal what group they belong to.
When two nearly blind naked mole rats encounter each other in a dark subterranean tunnel, it could be a friendly meeting or a moment of potential bloodshed between strangers. The creatures chirp to each other in greeting—and what happens next depends on the exact sound of those chirps.
That's because each colony of naked mole rats speaks its own distinct dialect, instantly recognizable to its members, according to a new study in the journal Science. Young pups learn their group's dialect as they grow up, and it is part of a strict culture of conformity maintained by the colony's queen.
"We actually think that one of the ways in, a scientist at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany.
