Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia — mammals
Order: Rodentia — rodents
Family: Heterocephalidae — naked mole-rat
Genus: Heterocephalus
Species: Heterocephalus glaber (Rüppell, 1842) — naked mole-rat
Sources: Patterson and Upham (2014), Patterson (2016)
Because of its unusual physical and socio-ecological traits, the naked mole-rate has been extensively studied by scientists.
It is classified in its own taxonomic family, Heterocephalidae, and is only distantly related to other African mole-rats.
Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.