Tulsa Zoo Welcomes 5 Naked Mole Rat Pups

The Tulsa Zoo is welcoming five naked mole rat pups to the Desert building.

The pups were born March 4, 2018.

The Zoo says the pups are “thriving in the naked mole rat group, called a colony.”

A release says the queen is the only female allowed to breed in the colony, a unique trait among mammals. It says the queen will nurse the pups but colony workers will clean, care for, feed, groom and transport them.

The pups will be cared for in an underground tunnel system with rooms for different functions.

Josef Lindholm, the zoological curator of birds and WildLIFE Trek mammals, said, “We are thrilled zoo visitors will be able to observe a multi-generational colony of this unique species. The pups are much smaller than the 34 adults, among whom they waddle around.”