Festivus For The Rest of Us - 2015

Once again, kicking off our year-end celebrations is the naked mole rats' favorite holiday – Festivus!

Stop by the colony, gather round the Festivus Pole, and watch your favorite Heterocephalus glaber as they perform

Feats of Strength and

Airing of Grievances.

Perhaps there will be Festivus Miracle.

Pacific Science Center will be closed on Christmas Day but reopen December 26th when we will be celebrating the 17th anniversary of our Tropical Butterfly House.

Happy holidays, everyone!


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Festivus for the Rest of Us - 2014

This year as in the past, Galinda, Elphaba, Hairless Houdini, The Riddler, Toothless and the 57 other naked mole rats invite you to join them in their annual celebration of Festivus!

In addition to the traditional Festivus Pole, visitors will be able to observe Feats of Strength!

Airing of Grievances!

Animal caretakers have also set aside a chamber for anticipated Festivus Miracles.

There will be lots of red food on hand for the celebratory feast. So come visit today and join the fun or if you can’t, watch the party on our webcam.

Happy holidays from your furless friends at Pacific Science Center!

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A Festivus Miracle!

It’s December 19th, and a favorite holiday among naked mole-rats is quickly approaching. That’s right, it’s almost Festivus!


As we shared in this blog story last year, the naked mole-rats presumably celebrate Festivus on the 23rd of December.

They observe the holiday with Feats of Strength,


Airing of Grievances,


and even a naked mole-rat-sized Festivus Pole.


This year, there is even a Festivus miracle! One of our two queens, Galinda, gave birth to a new litter of pups on Sunday night. As with other Festivus miracles, this is something that is easily explainable. Galinda has about five litters a year! This is pretty normal for her! Yet it is also something we anticipate with excitement and a little concern. The health of our queen is key to maintaining a healthy colony, and delivering pups is one of the most risky times for a mole-rat. Each successfully delivered litter truly is a moment to appreciate


With all naked mole-rat litters, there is a very high rate of mortality among the pups. The first few weeks of life for a baby naked mole-rat are extremely difficult. However, we are excited to see babies this time of year and hope for the best. We know from experience and communication with other facilities that there is no added care we can do to help the babies along. By keeping the colony and its queen healthy, we have done our part in the process and must give the colony a few quiet days to establish a bond with the pups. It is up to them now.

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