Golden mole

Of all the animals I’ve heard about in Namibia, I think Grant’s golden mole (Eremitalpa granti) is the animal that most intrigues me. The golden mole is not actually a true mole, and instead is an example of convergent evolution. Grant’s golden mole is extremely well adapted to the desert and escapes the extreme temperature fluctuations by burrowing underground. During the day they burrow 30 to 50 cm under the surface and enter a state of torpor, minimizing their energy expenditure. The species becomes active at night, tunneling below the sand in search of insect prey. Unlike other moles, they don’t travel through tunnels and instead “swim” through the sand. Individuals have been known to travel over 5800 meters in search of prey in one night. The golden mole doesn’t need to drink water, instead it’s impressively efficient kidneys allow it to meet its water demands from diet alone.

Golden mole’s eyes are non-functional and are covered by furred skin. In order to find prey, the golden mole uses enlarged mallei (a bone in the middle ear) to hear minute vibrations from insects.

Grant’s golden mole is listed as near threatened by the IUCN red list. Mining and habitat fragmentation threaten this species. It is not difficult to imagine what a catastrophic impact the loud noise of mining can have on the golden moles that so heavily rely on sound and vibration to find their next meal. 

I attached a cool video from BBC that discusses sound in the desert. If you have a couple minutes, I would highly recommend it! Peep to the end to see the golden mole.

-Christina Savvides
Sources:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mole
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chrysochloris_asiatica/
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-211-99749-9_18
http://www.namibian.org/travel/wildlife/pictures/wildlife/fullsize/Golden_Mole_fs.jpg