Naked Mole Rats arrive at the Tropical Butterfly House

The Tropical Butterfly House in North Anston, Sheffield, has some strange new additions to their Butterfly House’s Nocturnal Room.

The zoo now has 6 naked mole rats for everyone to see! This is quite a commitment as the subterranean rodents can live for as long as 30 years! Though they may never win a beauty contest, they are winning when it comes to health. Naked mole rats have the ability to stop tumours from forming and can therefore never get cancer, thanks to this natural ability they have previously been named Vertebrate of the Year by Science Magazine.

The Tropical Butterfly House is one of approximately only 5 zoos in the UK to have naked mole rats.

Visitors who come to the wildlife centre to see the naked mole rats between 11th and 26th February will also get to see the Looking Good February half term event. Alongside the usual daily animal encounters there will also be additional activities including grooming guinea pigs, making Valentine’s gifts for the lemurs, a quiz trail, and a dress up competition. There’s no extra charge for the event, normal admission charges apply.