Tachyoryctes rex, also known as the King African mole-rat, King mole-rat, or Alpine mole-rat, is a burrowing rodent in the genus Tachyoryctes of family Spalacidae. It only occurs high on Mount Kenya, where it is common. Originally described as a separate species related to T. audax in 1910, some classify it as the same species as T. splendens.It is a very large, brownish species, with head and body length ranging from 222 to 268 mm (8.7 to 10.6 in).