By Henry Nicholls

Published: Thursday, 22 September 2022 at 12:00 am


What the naked mole rat lacks in looks it more than makes up in longevity. While a bog-standard house mouse might live for about three years, the naked mole rat can reach the grand old age of 30, making it the longest-lived rodent on record.

The naked mole rat has other talents, too. Though its eyes are just a few millimetres in diameter, they have an unusually high proportion of colour-sensitive photoreceptors and a rare blue-sensitive pigment that may help it to see in the dark.

In addition, the levels of carbon dioxide that build up in a mole rat burrow are enough to cause acidic burns – but the animals appear to be oblivious to the pain. 

Naked mole rat facts

Scientific name: Heterocephalus glaber

Size: 13cm from nose to tip of tail

Range: East Africa

Habitat: Grasslands

Superpower: Long-lived and oblivious to pain