It is hard to guess what a Cape dune mole-rat weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Cape dune mole-rat (Bathyergus suillus) on average weights 804 grams (1.77 lbs).
The Cape dune mole-rat is from the family Bathyergidae (genus: Bathyergus). It is usually born with about 34 grams (0.07 lbs). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 27.9 cm (0′ 11″). On average, Cape dune mole-rats can have babies 1 times per year with a litter size of 2.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The Cape dune mole-rat (Bathyergus suillus) is a species of solitary burrowing rodent in the family Bathyergidae. It is endemic to South Africa and named for the Cape of Good Hope.
Animals of the same family as a Cape dune mole-rat
We found other animals of the Bathyergidae family:
- Ochre mole-rat with a weight of 200 grams
- Mechow’s mole-rat with a weight of 272 grams
- Silvery mole-rat with a weight of 160 grams
- Mashona mole-rat with a weight of 65 grams
- Bocage’s mole-rat with a weight of 93 grams
- Damaraland mole-rat with a weight of 112 grams
- Cape mole-rat with a weight of 189 grams
- Ansell’s mole-rat with a weight of 85 grams
- Namaqua dune mole-rat with a weight of 389 grams
- Zambian mole-rat with a weight of 76 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Cape dune mole-rat
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Bathyergus suillus:
- Guinea pig bringing 728 grams to the scale
- Central American squirrel monkey bringing 714 grams to the scale
- Swynnerton’s bush squirrel bringing 675 grams to the scale
- Western gray squirrel bringing 704 grams to the scale
- Eastern barred bandicoot bringing 903 grams to the scale
- Utah prairie dog bringing 900 grams to the scale
- Long-nosed bandicoot bringing 720 grams to the scale
- Western white-eared giant rat bringing 932 grams to the scale
- Striped polecat bringing 812 grams to the scale
- Desert cottontail bringing 882 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Cape dune mole-rat
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Cape dune mole-rat:
- Red-handed tamarin with a size of 26.5 cm (0′ 11″)
- San José brush rabbit with a size of 29.4 cm (1′ 0″)
- Malayan weasel with a size of 32.6 cm (1′ 1″)
- Orange-brown Atlantic tree-rat with a size of 22.7 cm (0′ 9″)
- Black-shouldered opossum with a size of 23.4 cm (0′ 10″)
- Chinese red pika with a size of 24.5 cm (0′ 10″)
- Black-bearded flying fox with a size of 28.5 cm (1′ 0″)
- Giant naked-tailed rat with a size of 31 cm (1′ 1″)
- Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose with a size of 31.9 cm (1′ 1″)
- European hedgehog with a size of 23.7 cm (0′ 10″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Cape dune mole-rat
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (2) as a Cape dune mole-rat: