The Golden Mole: and Other Living Treasure: 'A rare and magical book.' Bill Bryson

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Mason, M. J. & Narins, P. M. 2001. Seismic signal use by fossorial mammals. American Zoologist 41: 1171-1184. Linnaeus first documented the existence of golden moles (family Chrysochloridae) nearly 250 years ago, yet current knowledge of these blind, subterranean small mammals is still limited, and based largely on a few more common and widespread species. This can be attributed to several factors: Eberle, Ute (9 February 2022). "Life in the soil was thought to be silent. What if it isn't?". Knowable Magazine. doi: 10.1146/knowable-020922-2. S2CID 246770511. Chrysochloris asiatica Cape golden mole adult, showing the digging claw, absence of external eye and a hint of the iridescence of the fur. The rhinarium is not obvious in this photograph.

Golden Mole: and Other Living Treasure - Hardcover - AbeBooks The Golden Mole: and Other Living Treasure - Hardcover - AbeBooks

Chrysochloridae are subterranean, afrotherian mammals endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, and most of which are recorded from South Africa in particular. Other regions include Lake Victoria, Western Cape, [5] and Namibia. [6] They live in a variety of environments; forest, swamps, deserts, or mountainous terrain. Chrysospalax species tend to forage above ground in leaf litter in forests or in meadows. Eremitalpa species such as Grant's golden mole live in the sandy Namib desert, where they cannot form tunnels because the sand collapses. Instead during the day, when they must seek shelter, they "swim" through the loose sand, using their broad claws to paddle, and dive down some 50 centimetres (20in) to where it is bearably cool. There they enter a state of torpor, thus conserving energy. [7] At night they emerge to forage on the surface rather than wasting energy shifting sand. Their main prey are termites that live under isolated grass clumps, and they might travel for 6 kilometres (3.7mi) a night in search of food. They seek promising clumps by listening for wind-rustled grass-root stresses and termites' head-banging alarm signals, neither of which can be heard easily above ground, so they stop periodically and dip their heads under the sand to listen. [7] Of the 21 species of golden mole, no fewer than 11 are threatened with extinction. The primary cause being human-induced habitat loss. Additionally sand mining, poor agricultural practices, and predation by domestic cats and dogs are causes of population decline.When maintaining golden moles in captivity, room temperature is acceptable in moderate climates, but it is advisable to keep them in a temperature-controlled room if daily room temperatures drop below 15C or rise above 30C. As a general rule of thumb, a temperature of 15-25C is recommended; this range does not disrupt their endogenous daily torpor rhythms, and this torpor considerably reduces the amount of food they consume. Moles in torpor should not be handled excessively, as this awakens them, and seems to result in considerable stress, in extreme cases leading to the cessation of eating and physiological decline of the individual. Conservation http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Neamblysomus_julianae/ ARKive, images of Endangered Juliana’s golden mole Bronner, G.N., Jonres E. & Coetzer, D.J. 1990. Hyoid-dentary articulations in golden moles (Mammalia: Insectivora; Chrysochloridae). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde 55:11-15.

Golden Mole and Other Living Treasure - NHBS The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasure - NHBS

Juliana’s golden mole ( Neamblysomus julianae), although the topotypical population of Juliana’s golden mole is critically endangered Mason, Matthew J. (August 2003). "Morphology of the middle ear of golden moles (Chrysochloridae)". Journal of Zoology. 260 (4): 391–403. doi: 10.1017/S095283690300387X. Bronner, G.N. 2000. New species and subspecies of golden mole (Chrysochloridae: Amblysomus) from Mpumalanga, South Africa. Mammalia 64: 41-54. One of the reasons for the evolutionary success of golden moles may be their unique physiology. Despite a high thermal conductance, they have a low basal metabolic rate and are moderate ( Chrysochloris asiatica, Amblysomus hottentotus) to extreme ( Eremitalpa granti) thermoconformers (Bennett & Spinks, 1995; Seymour et al. 1998), thereby considerably reducing their thermoregulatory energy requirements. All species enter torpor, either daily or in response to cold temperatures. Body temperature in the thermal neutral zone is lower than in other similarly-sized mammals. The low metabolic rate of the Cape golden mole is achieved by lowering the body temperature, whereas in Grant’s golden mole it is also the result of intrinsic metabolic depression. Lowered metabolism and efficient renal function effectively reduce water requirements to the extent that most species do not need to drink. Far from being “primitive” characteristics, as was originally proposed by Withers (1978), such physiological specializations allow these moles to survive in habitats where temperatures are extreme and food is scarce, either seasonally or perennially. Ecology Females give birth to one to three hairless young in a grass-lined nest within the burrow system. Breeding occurs throughout the year. The adults are solitary, and their burrowing territory may be aggressively defended from intruders, especially where resources are relatively scarce. [4] Status [ edit ]The highly restricted distributions of some species, often in remote areas not easily accessible to biologists; Willi, U. B., Bronner, G. N. & Narins P. M. 2005a. Ossicular differentiation of airborne and seismic stimuli in the Cape golden mole ( Chrysochloris asiatica). Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology 192(3): 267-277. Broom, R. 1916. Some observations on the dentition of Chrysochloris, and on the tritubercular theory. Annals of the Natal Museum 2:129-140.

Golden Moles | IUCN Afrotheria Specialist Group Golden Moles | IUCN Afrotheria Specialist Group

a b Kuyper, Margaret (1984). Macdonald, D. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 764–765. ISBN 978-0-87196-871-5. Most previous taxonomic revisions of golden moles were largely intuitive, or based on only elementary statistical evaluation of few specimens, leading to conflicting classifications that obscured rather than resolved inter-specific relationships. Based on phylogenetic analyses of morphometric and cytogenetic variation in three genera, Bronner (1995a,b) proposed a new classification including a newly-described species (Bronner 2000). Following Simonetta (1968), two subfamilies may be recognized, albeit with differing species allocations: the Chrysochlorinae, in which the malleus bone of the middle ear is enlarged with a spherical or club-like shape ( Carpitalpa - 1 spp., Chlorotalpa - 2 spp., Chrysospalax - 2 spp., Chrysochloris - 3 spp., Cryptochloris - 2 spp. and Eremitalpa - 1 spp.); and the Amblysominae, in which the malleus is not expanded and has the typical mammalian shape ( Amblysomus - 5 spp., Neamblysomus - 2 spp. and Calcochloris 3 spp.). This is the currently accepted taxonomy (Bronner & Jenkins 2005), though some minor changes may result when a phylogeny based on nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences (currently being undertaken at the University of Pretoria by members of the Afrotheria Specialist Group) becomes available. Distribution Most other species construct both foraging superficial burrows and deeper permanent burrows for residence. Residential burrows are relatively complex in form and may penetrate as far as 1 metre (3ft 3in) below ground and include deep chambers for use for refuge, and other chambers as latrines. They push excavated soil up to the surface, as in mole-hills, or compact it into the tunnel walls. Digimorph Digiital morphology account of the golden mole skeleton (genus c hrysochloris) Literature Cited Bronner, G.N. 1995a. Cytogenetic properties of nine species of golden moles (Insectivora: Chrysochloridae). Journal of Mammalogy 76: 957-971.Bennett, N. C. & Spinks, A. C. 1995. Thermoregulation and metabolism in the Cape golden mole (Insectivora: Chrysochloris asiatica). Journal of Zoology, London 236: 521-529. Willi, U. B., Bronner, G. N. & Narins P. M. 2005b. Middle ear dynamics in response to seismic stimuli in the Cape golden mole ( Chrysochloris asiatica). Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 302-313 Seymour, R. S., Withers, P. C. & Weathers, W. W. 1998. Energetics of burrowing, running and free-living in the Namib Desert golden mole ( Eremitalpa namibensis). Journal of Zoology, London 244: 107-117.

Golden Mole by Richard Girling | Waterstones The Hunt for the Golden Mole by Richard Girling | Waterstones

Duncan, P. & Wrangham, R. W. 1971. On the ecology and distribution of subterranean insectivores in Kenya. Journal of Zoology, London 164: 149-163.Golden moles show many anatomical characteristics common to other fossorial mammals, these similarities being the result of ecological convergence rather than ancestry. The eyes are vestigial and covered by skin, and the optic nerve is reportedly degenerate (though there is some debate as to whether or not this is indeed so), a common tendency in animals living underground where sight is of little use. The external ear pinnae are absent (though there are small ear openings covered by dense fur), the external tail is lost, and the body has a streamlined shape to facilitate movement through the dense substratum. A historical tendency to focus biological attention on the larger, charismatic mammals while overlooking smaller-sized mammalian groups that are more diverse, ancient and often more deserving of conservation concern.