The naked mole rat--a new record for the oldest living rodent

Abstract

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.