A golden mole that “swims” in the sand has resurfaced in South Africa after 87 years in the wild as many experts feared it would go extinct, researchers have announced.
Traces of two De Winton’s golden moles have been discovered in the sand of a beach after a “police search,” Esther Matthew, box manager for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), said on Tuesday.
“This was a very exciting task with many challenges,” Matthew said in a statement. “Fortunately, we had a team full of enthusiasm and cutting-edge ideas. “
Researchers from EWT and the University of Pretoria scoured up to 18 kilometers of dune habitat during the day while spending months searching for signs, Matthew said.
A blind mole with iridescent fur that “swims” in the sand and has been lost to science since 1936 is lost. . .
Blind moles are cute and extremely shy.
They choose inaccessible spaces to dig their homes and have an incredibly sensitive ear to hear ground vibrations produced by anyone next to them. The last clinical indication dates back to 1936.
The team used a scent-detecting Border Collie dog, Jessie, to find traces of the moles’ tunnels.
There are 21 species of golden moles and the De Wintons detected samples of environmental DNA (skin, hair and body excretions) taken from the soil of Port Nolloth beach on the northwest coast.
More than one hundred samples were collected from the dunes.
Even now the researchers have not physically seen the blind mole that has an iridescent coat sheen that allows it to “swim” through sand.
To finally make a connection, they have made videos and taken photos.
Their study paper, “Environmental soil DNA reveals the presence of a ‘lost’ Afroterian species,” published Nov. 24 in the clinical journal Biodiversity and Conservation.
De Winton’s golden mole is among the 25 most vital animals on a list of long-extinct species drawn up through the non-governmental organization Re:wild in 2017.
Eleven have now been rediscovered.
“Although many other people doubted that the De Winton golden mole still existed, I was convinced that the species had not yet gone extinct,” said Cobus Theron, EWT’s senior conservation officer and a member of the research team. “I am convinced that everyone would need the right screening method, the right timing, and a team that is passionate about the studies. Now, not only have we solved the conundrum, but we have also tapped into this eDNA frontier where there are huge opportunities. Not only for moles, but also for other species that are lost or at risk.
Christina Biggs, Re:wild’s Lost Species Specialist, praised the perseverance of those who discovered the moles.
“They left no stone unturned, and now it’s conceivable to protect the spaces where these rare and endangered moles live,” Biggs said.
De Winton’s rediscovered golden mole is the eleventh of the “world’s most wanted lost species” to be rediscovered, according to Re:wild.
The use of environmental DNA was a “case study on how such forward-thinking technologies can be utilized to find other lost species.”
The team discovered lines of 4 other golden moles in the same area. Matthew said the De Wintons are still threatened by mining and residential developments near the beaches where they live.