naked mole-rat
A nearly hairless rodent native to East Africa, known for its eusocial colony structure and unusual longevity.
The naked mole-rat is known as a eusocial mammal.
I saw an exhibit of naked mole-rats at the zoo.
Standard katakana spelling for this animal name.
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly used in scientific contexts; the word is usually written in kana.
Compound of 裸 (hadaka, 'naked'), 出歯 (deba, 'protruding tooth'), and 鼠 (nezumi, 'rat/mouse'), describing its appearance. The exact coinage is uncertain, but it is a direct descriptive term.