Dateline, Texas: Old Man the Naked Mole Rat Dies

Naked Mole Rats Frolicing in a Tube

Sad news in West Texas today. We've learned that the 32 year-old naked mole rat named Old Man has died. The naked mole rat is a creature of astonishing longevity, with Old Man being the oldest known of the species. The University of Texas Health Science Center's Barshop Institute for Longevity is home to the largest captive colony of ugly naked mole rats. Old Man was born in Kenya, and had a full and satisfying life in Texas. May he rest in peace. From the San Antonio Express News:

The Barshop Institute, part of The University of Texas Health Science Center, maintains the world's largest mole rat colony. About 2,000 of the tiny, burrowing rodents whose most distinctive feature is their sharp, protruding teeth, live and breed in four basement labs. With their long, hairless bodies and translucent pink skin, they look a bit like Vietnamese spring rolls with legs.

Because these natives of East Africa live an average 26 years (compared to the 2- to 4-year lifespan of other rodents), they're well suited for studies of age-related disease. For example, older mole rats develop the same type of brain plaque as that found in Alzheimer's patients. But for reasons unknown, they don't experience similar cognitive decline.

Their bones also stay strong and healthy well into their later years.