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A pink, wrinkly naked mole rat with long front teeth.
Photo: Kein keen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Naked Mole Rat

Heterocephalus glaber

A nearly hairless underground rodent of East Africa that lives in colonies run by a single queen, like bees.

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About the Naked Mole Rat

Naked mole rats live in tunnels under dry savannas and grasslands in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Colonies average about 70 members. Workers dig with their strong front teeth, and their lips close behind their teeth so they don't get dirt in their mouths. They eat roots and tubers and get all the water they need from their food. Despite the name, they aren't related to moles and are closer to porcupines and guinea pigs than to rats.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Heterocephalus glaber[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Roots and tubers. Gets all its water from food.[1]
Habitat
Underground burrows in dry savannas and grasslands.[1]
Where it lives
Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.[1]
Group life
Colonies average about 70, up to 295, led by one breeding queen.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts about 70 days. Litters average 12 or more pups.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • A quarter of a naked mole rat's muscle is in its jaw. In people, it's about 1 percent.[1]
  • Naked mole rats aren't completely naked: they have whiskers and hair between their toes.[1]
  • Workers pass dirt down the tunnel like an assembly line.[1]
  • A naked mole rat queen grows longer after she becomes queen.[1]

Vocabulary

eusocial
Living in a group where only one or a few members have babies and the rest work for the group.
colony
A large group of animals of one kind that live together.
fossorial
Living underground and adapted for digging.
incisor
A front tooth used for cutting or biting.
tuber
A thick underground part of a plant that stores food, like a potato.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Naked Mole Rat.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/naked-mole-rat/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Heterocephalus glaber (Naked Mole Rat).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9987/22184136 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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