Lesser blind mole-rat

The lesser blind mole-rat (Nannospalax leucodon) is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine.[2]

Lesser blind mole-rat
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Spalacidae
Genus:	Nannospalax
Species:	N. leucodon
Binomial name
Nannospalax leucodon (Nordmann, 1840)
Synonyms
Spalax leucodon Nordmann, 1840

Prior to 2012, it was classified in the genus Spalax, but modern authors tend to separate this and some closely related mole rat species into a separate genus named Nannospalax. A cariological study showed that Nannospalax leucodon is a superspecies consisting of several cariologically distinct cryptic species. According to this definition there are four separate cariological forms in the Carpathian Basin, one of them endangered and another one vulnerable while insufficient data are available to evaluate the conservation status of the other two forms.[3]

One study directed towards life expectancy used this species by virtue of its incredible longevity performance, hypoxia and hypercapnia endurance, as well as cancer resistance. Looking at the fecal and skin samples of this ideal candidate, it was found that the Muribaculaceae bacterial family, known to be linked with longevity, dominated fecal samples.[4]