One of the 11 rats on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Bathyergidae
Naked Mole Rat
Heterocephalus glaber
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The naked mole-rat is one of the strangest mammals on the planet. It lives underground in colonies of dozens or hundreds of animals organised like those of ants or termites: a single breeding female, the queen, mates with a few males, while the rest of the colony digs, searches for tubers and defends the nest without breeding. It is almost blind, practically hairless, and does not regulate its body temperature as other mammals do. It digs with its incisors, which it can move independently like chopsticks.
Weight
29 g – 39 g
Size
8 cm – 10 cm
Life expectancy
30 years
