Categories
Litter Size

How many babies does a Damaraland mole-rat have at once? (litter size)

How many baby Damaraland mole-rats are in a litter?

A Damaraland mole-rat (Cryptomys damarensis) usually gives birth to around 3 babies.With 4 litters per year, that sums up to a yearly offspring of 12 babies.

Each of those little ones spend around 83 days as a fetus before they are released into the wild. Upon birth, they weight 8 grams (0.02 lbs) and measure 3.6 cm (0′ 2″). They are a member of the Bathyergidae family (genus: Cryptomys). An adult Damaraland mole-rat grows up to a size of 21.4 cm (0′ 9″).

To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.

The average litter size of a Damaraland mole-rat is 3

The Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis), Damara mole rat or Damaraland blesmol, is a burrowing rodent found in southern Africa. Along with the smaller, less hairy, naked mole rat, it is one of only two known eusocial mammals.

Other animals of the family Bathyergidae

Damaraland mole-rat is a member of the Bathyergidae, as are these animals:

Animals that share a litter size with Damaraland mole-rat

Those animals also give birth to 3 babies at once:

Animals with the same weight as a Damaraland mole-rat

What other animals weight around 112 grams (0.25 lbs)?