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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 of which, to various degrees, they resemble as a result of evolutionary convergence. There are 21 species. Some (e.g., ''Chrysochloris asiatica'', ''Amblysomus hottentotus'') are relatively common, whereas others (e.g., species of ''Chrysospalax'', ''Cryptochloris'', ''Neamblysomus'') are rare and endangered. Characteristics and affinities Like most burrowing mammals with similar habits, the Chrysochloridae have short legs with powerful digging claws, very dense fur that repels dirt and moisture, and toughened skin, particularly on the head. Their eyes are non-functional and covered with furred skin. The external ears are just tiny openings. In particular, golden moles bear a remarkable resemblance to the marsupial moles of Australia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amblysomus
''Amblysomus'' (also narrow-headed golden mole or South African golden mole) is a genus of the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae, comprising five species of the small, insect-eating, burrowing mammals endemic to Southern Africa. All five species can be found in South Africa and some are also found in Eswatini and Lesotho. Phylogeny ''Amblysomus'' is part of the family of golden moles, Chrysochloridae. It contains the following species: * Fynbos golden mole (''Amblysomus corriae'') * Hottentot golden mole (''Amblysomus hottentotus'') * Marley's golden mole (''Amblysomus marleyi'') * Robust golden mole (''Amblysomus robustus'') * Highveld golden mole (''Amblysomus septentrionalis'') The order of golden moles and tenrecs, Afrosoricida, is part of Afrotheria, one of the four main divisions of placental mammals, along with elephant shrews, aardvarks, hyraxes, sirenians and elephants. Golden moles are not all golden. Some have black to pale tawny-yellow fur.; the name and family ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marsupial Mole
Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae , are highly specialized marsupial mammals, known from two species found at the Australian interior. * '' Notoryctes typhlops'' (southern marsupial mole, known as the ''itjaritjari'' by the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people in Central Australia). * '' Notoryctes caurinus'' (northern marsupial mole, also known as the ''kakarratul'') Notoryctids are small, fossorial mammals that anatomically converge on other fossorial (and distantly related) mammals, such as living golden moles (Chrysochloridae) and extinct epoicotheres (Pholidota). Characteristics In an example of convergent evolution, notoryctids resemble (and fill the ecological niche of) moles from North America and Eurasia and golden moles from Southern Africa. Like chrysochlorids and epoicotheres, notoryctids use their forelimbs and enlarged central claws to dig in a parasagittal (i.e., up and down) plane, as opposed to the "lateral scratch" style of digging that characterizes t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cape Golden Mole
The Cape golden mole (''Chrysochloris asiatica'') is a small, insectivorous mammal of the family Chrysochloridae, the golden moles. The species is a solitary subterranean insectivore, confined to the coastal regions of the southwestern and southern Cape in South Africa. When foraging for soil invertebrates, these golden moles excavate superficial burrows using their conical nose shield and highly modified forefeet. Females are smaller than males. Golden moles have very dense, soft, and silky coats. The coats are colored blackish to slaty-grey and brown to pale fawn. They have also been observed to venture onto sandy beaches, presumably to feed on amphipods and isopods occurring there. References External linksManyeleti Private Game Reserve - description of golden moles* Endemic fauna of South Africa Afrosoricida Mammals of South Africa Least concern biota of Africa Mammals described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mole (animal)
Moles are small mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous eyes and ears, reduced hindlimbs, and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging. The word “mole” refers to any species in the family Talpidae, which means “mole” in Latin. Moles are found in most parts of North America, Europe and Asia. Moles may be viewed as pests to gardeners, but they provide positive contributions to soil, gardens, and ecosystem, including soil aeration, feeding on slugs and small creatures that eat plant roots, and providing prey for other wildlife. They eat earthworms and other small invertebrates in the soil. Terminology In Middle English, moles were known as ''moldwarp''. The expression "don't make a mountain out of a molehill" (which means "exaggerating problems") was first recorded in Tudor times. By the era of Early Modern English, the mole was also known in English as ''mouldywarp'', a w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chrysochloris
''Chrysochloris'' is a genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It contains the following species: * Subgenus ''Chrysochloris'' ** Cape golden mole (''Chrysochloris asiatica'') **Visagie's golden mole (''Chrysochloris visagiei'') * Subgenus ''Kilimatalpa'' **Stuhlmann's golden mole Stuhlmann's golden mole (''Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical ... (''Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'') References Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chrysochloris Asiatica Cape Golden Mole Adult IMG 7120
''Chrysochloris'' is a genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It contains the following species: * Subgenus ''Chrysochloris'' **Cape golden mole (''Chrysochloris asiatica'') ** Visagie's golden mole (''Chrysochloris visagiei'') * Subgenus ''Kilimatalpa'' **Stuhlmann's golden mole Stuhlmann's golden mole (''Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical ... (''Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'') References Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calcochloris
''Calcochloris'' is a genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It contains the following species: * Yellow golden mole (''Calcochloris obtusirostris'') * Somali golden mole (''Calcochloris tytonis'') References Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxa named by St. George Jackson Mivart Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chlorotalpa
''Chlorotalpa'' is a genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It contains the following species: * Duthie's golden mole Duthie's golden mole (''Chlorotalpa duthieae'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, temperate grassland, arab ... (''Chlorotalpa duthieae'') * Sclater's golden mole (''Chlorotalpa sclateri'') References Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carpitalpa
Arends' golden mole (''Carpitalpa arendsi'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is found in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry, and moist montane forests, dry lowland grassland, arable land, pasture, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is the only species in the genus ''Carpitalpa''. It was moved from the genus ''Chlorotalpa''. It was first described by Lundholm, who named it for Nicolas Arends, taxidermist at the Kaffrarian Museum (now the Amathole Museum, in King William's Town Qonce, formerly known as King William's Town, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. Qonce, with a population of aroun ..., South Africa) who captured the specimen. References Afrosoricida Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1955 {{afrosori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chrysospalax
''Chrysospalax'' is a small genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. The two members are endemic to South Africa. It contains the following species: * Rough-haired golden mole (''Chrysospalax villosus'') * Giant golden mole 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, ... (''Chrysospalax trevelyani'') References Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxa named by Theodore Gill Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinarium
The rhinarium (New Latin, "belonging to the nose"; plural: rhinaria) is the furless skin surface surrounding the external openings of the nostrils in many mammals. Commonly it is referred to as the tip of the ''snout'', and breeders of cats and dogs sometimes use the term ''nose leather''. Informally, it may be called a "truffle", "wet snout," or "wet nose” because its surface is moist in some species: for example, healthy dogs and cats. In many species, the rhinarium has a mid-line groove (cleft)the philtrumand a wrinkled (crenellated) surface. The rhinarium is a separate sense organ: it is a touch-based chemosensory organ that connects with a well-developed vomeronasal organ (VNO). The rhinarium is used to touch a scent-marked object containing pheromones (usually large, non-volatile molecules), and transfer these pheromone molecules down the philtrum to the VNO via the nasopalatine ducts that travel through the incisive foramen of the hard palate. It also acts as a wind- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
