Naked Mole Rat

The naked mole rat is a nearly hairless, burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa. It is a eusocial species that lives in colonies. In a eusocial species, a queen bears all offspring from only a few males. The other members of the colony work towards the reproductive benefit of the queen.¹

Fast Facts

1. Latin name: Heterocephalus Glaber¹
2. Spend almost their entire lives underground in darkness¹
3. Can live up to 25 years in captivity²
4. Adaptations for living and burrowing underground include: Bucked teeth, nearly hairless, bean-shaped body and slowed metabolism¹²
5. Other eusocial animals include primarily insects such as ants, wasps and bees³

Rufus the Naked Mole Rat

In 2002, the television cartoon show Kim Possible featured a naked mole rat named Rufus as a main character. On the show, Rufus was Kim's pet. According to the National Zoo, in real life mole rats are not domesticated and should not be kept as pets.⁴

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