The naked mole rat--a new record for the oldest living rodent.
We report a new record for the world's longest-lived rodent, a male naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber). On the basis of his weight at capture, this animal was approximately 1 year old when collected near Mtito Andei, Kenya in July/August 1974. He died in April 2002, indicating that he lived for more than 28 years. As such, his life-span surpassed the previous longevity record for a rodent, which was held by a porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) that lived for 27 years and 4 months.
Buffenstein
Rochelle
R
Department of Biology, City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA. rbuffen@sci.ccny.cuny.edu
Jarvis
Jennifer U M
JU
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D019577:Mole Rats / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats