By the Numbers—Naked Mole Rats

Many Workers, One Queen

There are 49 naked mole rats scurrying through the 12 chambers of their exhibit within Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House. They scamper between rooms with a handful of designations—some spaces are sleeping chambers, others are used for food storage, others as bathrooms. Twice a year this colony reproduces, though only one out of the 49—the queen—gives birth. Litters can contain as many as two dozen pups. Some of the visitors who spot these unusual, bald rodents are delighted. Other visitors are disgusted by them. Those reactions would be magnified by colonies of wild naked mole rats, which can balloon to 300 members. 

*Learn more about naked mole rats here. 

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Read more numbers-based articles in the numbers-themed issue of Lincoln Park Zoo magazine here.