The Somali golden mole (''Calcochloris tytonis'') is a

golden mole Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae and as such they are taxonomically distinct from the true moles, family Talpidae, and other mole-like families, all o ...

endemic to

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. In 1964, Dr. Alberto Simonetta of the

University of Florence The University of Florence (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'', UniFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The first universi ...

discovered the mole's jaw and ear bone fragments in a barn owl pellet in

Giohar Jowhar ( so, Jowhar, ar, جوهر) is the capital city of Hirshabelle state of Somalia. Jowhar is also the administrative capital of Middle Shabelle region of Somalia. Along with Baidoa, it used to form the joint administrative capital of ...

, Somalia. The Somali golden mole differs from the other species in its family (

Chrysochloridae Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae and as such they are taxonomically distinct from the true moles, family Talpidae, and other mole-like families, all o ...

) because the shape of its jaw is distinct; although the length of the lower jaw fits within the size range of the skulls of species '' Amblysomus leucorhinus'' and ''

Amblysomus sclateri Sclater's golden mole (''Chlorotalpa sclateri'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is found in Lesotho and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry and high-altitude shrubland, Mediterranean-typ ...

'', the width of the ascending parts of the jaw is much bigger (2mm) than that of the species it most closely matches ('' Amblysomus leucorhinus''). Simonetta, A. M. (1968). A New Golden Mole From Somalia With an Appendix on the Taxonomy of the Family Chrysochloridae (Mammalia, Insectivora). ''Monitore Zoologico Italiano''. Supplemento, 2:1, 27–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/03749444.1968.10736749

References

* Endemic fauna of Somalia

Somali golden mole The Somali golden mole (''Calcochloris tytonis'') is a golden mole endemic to Somalia. In 1964, Dr. Alberto Simonetta of the University of Florence discovered the mole's jaw and ear bone fragments in a barn owl pellet in Giohar, Somalia. The Som ...

Mammals of Somalia

Species known from a single specimen Hobyo grasslands and shrublands {{afrosoricida-stub