De Winton’s golden mole is a small, blind, insect-eating mammal that owes its golden name to its pearl-like iridescent fur. The shimmering fur is caused by oil that the moles secrete to make it easier to swim through the sand.
The moles’ burrowing habits make them difficult to track down, and the creatures have extremely sensitive hearing that can detect vibrations from movement above ground, helping them to avoid being seen from the surface.
Unlike British moles, they rarely leave tunnels behind that are visible from the surface.
The mole was last seen in Port Nolloth beach, on the north-western coast, so conservationists sampled the soil in the area and surrounding regions to see if they could find evidence the creature was still there.
Animals shed skin cells, hair and bodily excretions, which can be used to confirm their presence.
Solving the riddle
The team found four golden moles including De Winton’s mole but it was initially tricky to tell it apart from the genetically similar Van Zyl’s golden mole.
It was only when they uncovered another golden mole specimen in a Cape Town museum that they were able to make a match.
Mr Theron said: “Now not only have we solved the riddle, but we have tapped into this eDNA frontier where there is a huge amount of opportunity not only for moles, but for other lost or imperilled species.”
Christina Biggs, manager for the Search for Lost Species, Re:wild, which also helped with the search, said: “The search for De Winton’s golden mole was not easy by any means, and it really speaks to how persistent, thorough and resourceful the EWT team was in the field.
“They left no sandhill unturned and now it’s possible to protect the areas where these threatened and rare moles live.
“The successful use of the eDNA technique is now a case study on how such forward-thinking technologies can be utilised to find other lost species.”
The finding was published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
