Major Drama Unfolding At The National Zoo: Report

WASHINGTON, DC -- Not all the best royalty dramas involve humans or are on TV. You only need to head to the National Zoo in D.C. to find a royal succession battle going on.

DCist reports that within the naked mole-rat colony at the zoo, there is a daily drama unfolding as the colony chooses a new queen.

DCist quotes a spokesperson as saying that a female who is larger than all the other mole-rats is currently the frontrunner to become queen. The only way to know for sure is when one of the mole-rats has babies.

Naked mole-rats are unique in that they are one of just two mammals that are eusocial (the other being the Damaraland mole-rat), meaning they behave like bees with a large colony and just one female who reproduces as all the others take care of her.

The zoo staff is waiting to see if a challenger emerges to take on the big female. Once the new queen becomes pregnant, however, the drama is over and everyone will take orders from her.

You can watch it all unfold on the naked mole-rat cam.

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