Duthie's golden mole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Duthie's golden mole |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chlorotalpa
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| Species: |
duthieae
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| Synonyms | |
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Amblysomus duthieae |
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The Duthie's golden mole (Chlorotalpa duthieae) is a small, unique mammal. It belongs to the family Chrysochloridae, which are known as golden moles. This special mole lives only in South Africa. This means it is endemic to that country. You can find it in many places. These include moist forests, grasslands, farms, gardens, and even cities. Its scientific name, duthieae, honors Dr. Augusta Vera Duthie. She was a famous South African botanist.
What Does It Look Like?
The Duthie's golden mole is a small animal. Its body, from head to tail, is about 100 to 130 mm (3.9 to 5.1 in) long. That's about the length of a small cell phone. It also has a very short tail, usually around 12 mm (0.5 in) long.
Its fur on top is a shiny reddish-black or brownish-black. Its belly, however, is grey. It has lighter markings on its nose and around its eyes. Male moles are usually a bit bigger than females.
Where Does It Live?
This mole is endemic to South Africa. It lives only in a narrow strip along the coast. This area is about 275 km (170 mi) long. It is located west of a city called Port Elizabeth.
There are two main groups of these moles. One group lives near Port Elizabeth. They can be found in pastures, farmlands, and gardens. The other, larger group lives between Wilderness and Tsitsikamma. Here, they live in Southern Afrotemperate Forests. Many of these forests are inside national parks. These moles prefer areas with sandy or muddy soil.
How Does It Live?
Duthie's golden moles dig their homes underground. They make a nest under the base of a tree. From this nest, they dig shallow tunnels. These tunnels spread out into the area around them.
The mole mostly looks for food at night. It searches in its tunnels and in fallen leaves. Its main food is earthworms. We don't know much about how they have babies. But one female mole was found to be pregnant in spring. She was carrying two young moles. The barn owl is a bird that hunts and eats these moles.
Is It in Danger?
This mole is fairly common in places where it can live. But it faces some big threats. People are building more homes and cities along the coast. This destroys the mole's habitat. It can also split up groups of moles.
Other dangers include pet cats and dogs hunting them. Gardeners and farmers sometimes harm them. Cutting down trees and replacing native forests with farms also hurt them. Because of these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says this mole is "vulnerable". This means it could become endangered if things don't change.
