How long can you hold your breath? A naked mole rat has you beat. Scientists recently discovered that these hairless, wrinkly mammals can go 18 minutes without oxygen!
All animals need oxygen to live. Their bodies use it to produce energy. But naked mole rats live in underground tunnels, where fresh air can be scarce. Scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago wanted to know how the rodents survive.
To find out, they put mole rats in a chamber with no oxygen. They monitored the animals’ breathing and heart rate. Without oxygen, the mole rats’ body activity slowed down drastically. “It’s almost like hibernation,” says biologist Thomas Park.
In this slow state, the mole rats use less energy. Park says that this adaptation helps the animals survive low oxygen levels underground.