The giant golden mole (''Chrysospalax trevelyani'') is a small mammal found in Africa. At in length, it is the largest of the golden mole species. The mole has dark, glossy brown fur; the name ''golden'' comes from the Greek word for green-gold, the family Chrysochloridae name.

Characteristics

The giant golden mole has a subterranean lifestyle. It has large claws, powerful forelimbs, no external tail or ears, wedge-shaped head, leather pad, and skin covering the eyes. It is approximately 208-235 millimetres in length and 410-500 grams in weight. With dark and brown skin on the upper parts and faded on the underparts, the hair is longer and coarser than any other species of golden mole: thick, with dense, woolly underfur.

Biology

The largest, rarest, and most endangered of all 17 species of golden moles, the giant golden mole spends most of its time underground and is

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and deaf. It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, hunting mostly at night, but also in some cool and cloudy daytime conditions. It is solitary; it does not form groups, despite some social behavior such as hibernating in others' burrows among the roots of trees in winter, only moving slightly to keep its body temperature in range and twitching to maintain body temperature while sleeping. Female Giant Golden moles give birth to one or two offspring at a time while it has stocks of food supply.

Diet

The giant golden mole digs semi-permanent tunnels for hunting food and may feed on the surface hiding in the leaf litter. It eats mainly millipedes and giant earthworms, but also crickets, cockroaches,

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

s, worms, and snails. Giant Golden Mole area

Habitat

The giant golden mole is a subterranean small

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

, living in chambers and passages underneath a very specific habitat, forests with soft soil, deep leaf litter layers, and well-developed undergrowth. The giant golden mole is endemic to South Africa, mostly in a restricted area in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

Population

Status

The giant golden mole was classified as Endangered (EN) in 2010 on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The population is decreasing due to habitat loss resulting mainly from human activities affecting its habitat such as firewood collection, bark stripping, cutting for construction, overgrazing of livestock, and clearance of forest. Moreover, the giant golden mole is preyed on by domestic dogs in that area.

Conservation

The giant golden mole currently receives little protection, and is not a main conservation target. Research is needed to protect this species and to assess the status and viability of the remaining populations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1765489 Endemic fauna of South Africa Afrosoricida Mammals of South Africa Mammals described in 1875 Taxa named by Albert Günther