Mole-rat or mole rat can refer to several groups of burrowing Old World rodents:
*
Bathyergidae, a family of about 20
hystricognath species in six genera from Africa also called blesmols.
*''
Heterocephalus glaber'', the naked mole-rat.
*
Spalacidae
The Spalacidae, or spalacids, are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. They are native to eastern Asia, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. It includes the blind mole-rats, bamboo rats, m ...
, a family of about 30
muroid
The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent excep ...
species in six genera from Eurasia and northeast Africa, including:
**''
Tachyoryctes'', a genus of about 15 species from Africa;
**
Blind mole rats (Spalacinae), a subfamily of about 15 living species in the genus ''
Spalax'' from southeastern Europe, southwestern Asia, and northeastern Africa;
**
Zokors (Myospalacinae), occasionally called mole-rats, about eight species from central and eastern Asia.
* In the family
Muridae
The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.
The name Muridae comes ...
:
** ''
Nesokia indica
The short-tailed bandicoot rat (''Nesokia indica'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
Other common names include short-tailed mole-rat, Indian bandicoot, bandicoot-rat, flat-tooth rat and short-tailed nesokia.
Characteristics
The sho ...
'' from southern and southwestern Asia and Egypt, also known as the short-tailed mole-rat.
** ''
Bandicota bengalensis
The lesser bandicoot rat, Sindhi rice rat, bengal rat or Indian mole-rat (''Bandicota bengalensis'') is a giant rat of Southern Asia, not related to the true bandicoots which are marsupials. They can be up to 40 cm long (including the tail), ...
'' from southern Asia, also known as the Indian mole-rat.
{{Animal common name