Golden Blind Mole not seen for 80 years found in South Africa

A golden blind mole of De Winton that was not seen for 80 years has been rediscovered in South Africa. Wildlife experts thought it had gone extinct. They found this rare golden mole in Port Nolloth on the west coast of South Africa.

A team of conservationists and geneticists from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and the University of Pretoria have successfully identified a blind golden mole in the sand. They discovered Mole after two years of research using DNA samples and a sniffer dog.

Scientists are making a mountain out of a mole hill after finding a rare breed of sightless burrowing mammal not seen for the better part of a century. https://t.co/Oj8lMN92VO
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 1, 2023

This stealthy animal (blind mole) is difficult to see even when it is about the size of a mouse and has a shimmering coat that resembles sand. They also rarely leave tunnels behind them and dwell in mostly inaccessible burrows. They have extremely sensitive hearing that allows them to detect activities above ground.

Golden Blind Mole not seen for 80 years found in South Africa

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Geneticist Samantha Mynhardt of EWT stated we were quite convinced that the golden mole was present in the environment. We could identify it by locating and sequencing its DNA. However, extracting DNA from soil is not without its difficulties.

In 2021, the crew used a sniffing dog to locate tunnel traces and came across a golden mole in Port Nolloth. To be sure that it was a De Winton’s mole, the scientists needed more information. Although, there are 21 species of golden moles and some of them have very similar appearances.

They collected environmental DNA samples. This DNA refers to what animals leave behind in their skin, hair, and bodily excretions. But they had to wait until 2022 for a South African museum to provide a De Winton’s DNA sample from decades earlier so that they could compare. The sequences of DNA matched and hence they found a Golden Blind Mole in South Africa.