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Longest-lived rodent

Longest-lived rodent
Who
Heterocephalus glaber, Naked mole rat
Where
Not Applicable
When
Not applicable

The longest-lived species of rodent is Africa's naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber), with a maximum life span of 31 years in captivity. In the wild, this bizarre-looking species lives in socially complex colonies in underground burrow systems beneath East Africa's arid tropical grasslands.

Naked mole rats are also the most eusocial mammals – their social hierarchy, with a single breeding queen, soldiers and workers, is more akin to that of communal insects such as ants and bees.

The biology behind their longevity has yet to be fully explained, but we do know they are very hardy creatures. Naked mole rats can survive in an atmosphere that is 80% carbon dioxide (and for around 20 minutes without oxygen altogether) and they are impervious to many effects of ageing, including age-related illnesses such as cancer.