The industrious but unlovely naked mole rat is the latest creature to have its genome sequenced by scientists.
A genetic blueprint for this bizarre-looking rodent could help researchers understand why it is so long-lived.
Naked mole rats are also of interest to scientists because they appear to have some resistance to cancer.
"Bigger animals tend to live longer, but the naked mole rat is an exception to that rule," he told BBC Nature.
"It can live over 30 years, which is very impressive for an animal that's smaller than a rat. Rats live for just four years."
The animals are also resistant to many diseases, particularly cancer.
Naked mole rat (image: photolibrary.com)
"I think that's the most interesting thing about them from a biomedical perspective," said Dr Magalhaes.
"To date, there have been no reported deaths of cancer, and there are [teams] around the world that have kept and studied naked mole rats for decades."
