![]() There is a great deal of branching and interconnection of tunnels, with the result that a colony's total tunnel length can total up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). ![]() Some tunnels run just under the surface of the ground, while others can be up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) deep. The tunnels are about 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) in diameter. ![]() Naked mole-rats live in complex underground burrow systems. If a queen dies or is removed from a colony, a few females may fight to the death in order to become the new queen. Dispersal is quite rare and inbreeding is common, which results in a high degree of genetic similarity among colony members. Workers are generally raising their siblings, because a single queen may reign for many years. The animals in these groups are very closely related. Colony size averages 70 individuals, but colonies of up to 295 have been observed. This is an unusual characteristic for mammals. ![]() Naked mole-rats are eusocial, meaning they live in large colonies in which only one female breeds and the majority of workers (both males and females) spend their entire lives working for the colony. ![]()
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