A return that sparks hope for science

The team of Endangered Wildlife Trust has recently found the long-lost Golden Mole. 

The Golden Mole is a subterranean mammal that is generally the size of a mouse. It gets its name from the iridescent sheen on its coat, their golden appearance helps them navigate through sand dunes.

As it lives underground, the mole is essentially blind, which makes it quite a challenge to locate it. The most difficult to track is the De Winton’s golden mole, a species lost to science for over 84 years. 

The best way to identify species like De Winton’s golden mole is through DNA testing.

JP Le Roux, one of the EWT field officers involved in the tracking of the Golden Mole said that the De Winton’s was last found in 1936.

She adds that “Our approach is to search for these golden mole burrows to collect soil from the burrows and then extract DNA from the soil.” 

Le Roux added that the discovery of De Winton’s golden mole helps gives an indication of the health of the wider environment.

This is most important for South Africa’s west coast where there’s is a lack of “big megafauna,” the golden mole would be at the top of the food chain, he said, and that would have a lot of influence on its surrounding ecosystem. Le Roux adds that it is iconic and it would be imperative that they find it.

Source- Agencies