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The effects of breeding season and reproductive status on male reproduction were investigated in the common mole-rat ( Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus ), a co-operatively breeding rodent that exhibits seasonal reproduction and a reproductive division of labour. Testicular anatomical and histological morphometrics, and selected sperm parameters were studied in 50 males from 17 wild caught colonies. Males exhibited no apparent manifestation of season on testicular activity: spermatogenesis and sperm quality (motility and percentage normal morphology) were similar in the reproductively active and inactive periods. This maintenance of reproductive activity during the non-reproductive period is essential in C. h. hottentotus males, as this period coincides with the period of maximal dispersal opportunities. Such reproductive activation in dispersing males may aid intersexual …