Spalacidae

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Spalacidae (mole rats; order Rodentia, suborder Myomorpha) A family (or subfamily of Muridae) of fairly large (up to 28 cm long) mole-like rodents which have soft, dense fur that can lie forward or backward, round heads, short fore limbs but longer, powerful, hind limbs, no externally visible tail, and vestigial eyes and ears. They live mainly below ground but often come to the surface at night. They are distributed throughout the eastern Mediterranean region and in south eastern Europe. There are three species in a single genus, Spalax.

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