Heterocephalus glaber
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions. It is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus.
The naked mole-rat exhibits a highly unusual set of physiological and behavioural traits that allow it to thrive in a harsh underground environment, most notably its being the only mammalian thermoconformer with an almost entirely ectothermic (cold-blooded) form of body temperature regulation, as well as exhibiting eusociality, a complex social structure including a reproductive division of labour, separation of reproductive and non-reproductive castes, and cooperative care of young. The closely related Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) is the only other known eusocial mammal. Naked mole-rats lack pain sensitivity in their skin, and have very low metabolic and respiratory rates. The animal is also remarkable for its longevity and resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation.
Although closely related to the blesmols, more recent investigation places it in a separate, exclusive family, Heterocephalidae, and no longer in the same family as other African mole-rats, Bathyergidae. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 4 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Skansen | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 8 | Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Zürich Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 11 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Seoul Zoo | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 16 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 17 | Dallas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 22 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Memphis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Wildlands | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 25 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 26 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 27 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 29 | Dudley Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 30 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Schönbrunn Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 32 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 34 | Hogle Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 36 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 37 | Akron Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 39 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Little Rock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | Frankfurt Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 43 | Valencia Bioparc | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 44 | Lincoln Children's Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | River Wonders | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 46 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 47 | Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 48 | Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | Randers Tropical Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 50 | Albuquerque Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Naked Mole Rat sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and July
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Naked Mole Rat in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, June, October and December, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Naked Mole Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Meru National Park, in our data
Meru National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Naked Mole Rat sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Naked Mole Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Meru National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
