The yellow golden mole (''Calcochloris obtusirostris'') is a species of mammal in the 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, a ...

. It is found in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

, South Africa (

KwaZulu-natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

and the

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

), and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. The yellow golden mole's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical

dry Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to ** Arid regions ** Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medica ...

and moist lowland forests, savanna, arable land, pasture, plantations, and rural gardens. C. o. chrysillus occurs in coastal forests,

savannas A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

and northern

. All species of the calcohloris live close to human settlements and thrive in urban gardens and

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

places. Yellow golden moles are likely to dig at the base of trees and create underground "nest" in which they forage for food. Its diet mainly consists of insecta, small lizards,

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

, and other tiny

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

found underground.

Conservation Status

This species has been classified as NT(

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

) but the population trend is unknown. File:Skulls of Golden moles.jpg, alt=This images are skulls of golden moles, Skulls of

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 Mamma ...

File:Congo Golden mole Huet 1885.jpg, A drawing of the Congo golden mole which is a related species. File:Calcochloris obtusirostris Peters 1852.jpg, Drawing of the yellow golden mole

References

Afrosoricida Mammals of Mozambique Mammals of South Africa Mammals of Tanzania Least concern biota of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1851 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters {{afrosoricida-stub