How big does a Naked mole-rat get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) reaches an average size of 13 cm (0′ 6″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 10 years, they grow from 1 grams (0 lbs) to 39 grams (0.09 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Naked mole-rats have 11 babies about 4 times per year. The Naked mole-rat (genus: Heterocephalus) is a member of the family Bathyergidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa. It is closely related to the blesmols and is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus of the family Heterocephalidae. The naked mole-rat and the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) are the only known eusocial mammals, the highest classification of sociality. It has a highly unusual set of physical traits that allow it to thrive in a harsh underground environment and is the only mammalian thermoconformer, almost entirely ectothermic (cold-blooded) in how it regulates body temperature.The naked mole-rat lacks pain sensitivity in its skin, and has very low metabolic and respiratory rates. While formerly considered to belong to the same family as other African mole-rats, Bathyergidae, more recent investigation places it in a separate family, Heterocephalidae. The naked mole-rat is also remarkable for its longevity and its resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation.
Animals of the same family as a Naked mole-rat
We found other animals of the Bathyergidae family:
- Cape mole-rat with 5 babies per litter
- Cape dune mole-rat with a size of 27.9 cm (0′ 11″)
- Mashona mole-rat with 1 babies per litter
- Silvery mole-rat with a size of 15.5 cm (0′ 7″)
- Mechow’s mole-rat with 2 babies per litter
- Ochre mole-rat with 3 babies per litter
- Zambian mole-rat with a weight of 76 grams
- Namaqua dune mole-rat with 3 babies per litter
- Common mole-rat with 2 babies per litter
- Damaraland mole-rat with 3 babies per litter
Animals with the same size as a Naked mole-rat
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Naked mole-rat:
- Philippine tarsier with a size of 11.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Palmer’s chipmunk with a size of 12.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Durango chipmunk with a size of 13.4 cm (0′ 6″)
- Moncton’s mosaic-tailed rat with a size of 14.2 cm (0′ 6″)
- White-bellied slender opossum with a size of 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Glacier rat with a size of 12.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Townsend’s vole with a size of 13.8 cm (0′ 6″)
- Montane vole with a size of 12.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse with a size of 12.1 cm (0′ 5″)
- Dibbler with a size of 14.2 cm (0′ 6″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Naked mole-rat
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (11) as a Naked mole-rat:
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Naked mole-rat
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Naked mole-rat:
- Water deer with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Greater Egyptian gerbil with an average maximal age of 8.17 years
- African wild dog with an average maximal age of 11 years
- Desmarest’s hutia with an average maximal age of 11.33 years
- Capybara with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Pronghorn with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Asian small-clawed otter with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Quokka with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Jaguarundi with an average maximal age of 10.58 years
- Northern treeshrew with an average maximal age of 10 years
Animals with the same weight as a Naked mole-rat
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Heterocephalus glaber:
- Mountain tube-nosed fruit bat bringing 43 grams to the scale
- Dark fruit-eating bat bringing 35 grams to the scale
- Black-eared mouse bringing 39 grams to the scale
- Black mastiff bat bringing 33 grams to the scale
- Crested-tailed deer mouse bringing 40 grams to the scale
- Moss-forest rat bringing 45 grams to the scale
- Lesser short-nosed fruit bat bringing 33 grams to the scale
- Tarabundí vole bringing 36 grams to the scale
- Lesser spear-nosed bat bringing 41 grams to the scale
- Desert mouse bringing 37 grams to the scale