(Eu)social death

I was checking out the naked mole rat cam (only to get the url to link to it for the 800th time; I swear I don't spend my Friday nights watching naked mole rats scurry about in Windows Media; please, you really, really have to take my word on this). Anyway, one just up and DIED right in the middle of the tunnel intersection.

It's so awful. Right now all the other little naked mole rats are freaking out, running up and nudging and pushing and climbing over the dead one, trying to get it to move. (Breathe, goddammit, breathe! Number 2764, come on, don't you dare do this to me now!)

After several fruitless attempts at resuscitation, they go off to get help. Then even more naked mole rats race up to assess the situation, and it's the same heart-wrenching drama all over again.

And pow, just like that, I actually have become a person who spends her Friday night watching naked mole rats in Windows Media. Sucks to be me, but I just can't tear myself away.

Comments

[receptionista]

i would have cried. i got a little choked up just reading that. poor naked mole rats.

[Joolie]

Yeah, it was really sad and a little pathetic. I checked it this morning and the zookeepers had put a bunch of vegetables down, I guess to make everyone feel better. They were all chowing down. It was like a little naked mole rat wake.

[Rochus]

Gosh, I'm glad I didn't see that. Would have torn me apart.

I recently went to Dresden to see NMRs for real for the first time, and spent ages just watching them. Once, an apparently rather weak and small mole rat went "downstairs" (where the toilet was) and then just stopped moving halfway on its way back up. It took its time before it got up again, breathing only weakly, and my friend and I couldn't stop worrying about it. (It was fine afterwards, it seemed. Went just back to the crowd and fell asleep together with the rest of the bunch again.)

And, Joolie, you're welcome. :-)

[receptionista]

i hate that you linked to the NMR cam. i watch it a few times a day.

yesterday i thought there was a dead one in there and thought, "oh no! not again!" but it was just sleeping. in like the place least conducive to sleep, i might add. other NMR's kept running over it and it would get twitchy and fussy then go back to sleep. weirdo.