The Golden Mole: and Other Living Treasure: 'A rare and magical book.' Bill Bryson

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a b Kuyper, Margaret (1984). Macdonald, D. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 764–765. ISBN 978-0-87196-871-5. When maintaining golden moles in captivity, room temperature is acceptable in moderate climates, but it is advisable to keep them in a temperature-controlled room if daily room temperatures drop below 15C or rise above 30C. As a general rule of thumb, a temperature of 15-25C is recommended; this range does not disrupt their endogenous daily torpor rhythms, and this torpor considerably reduces the amount of food they consume. Moles in torpor should not be handled excessively, as this awakens them, and seems to result in considerable stress, in extreme cases leading to the cessation of eating and physiological decline of the individual. Conservation Mason, Matthew J. (August 2003). "Morphology of the middle ear of golden moles (Chrysochloridae)". Journal of Zoology. 260 (4): 391–403. doi: 10.1017/S095283690300387X. Bronner, G. N. 1995b. Systematic revision of the golden mole genera Amblysomus, Chlorotalpa and Calcochloris (Insectivora: Chrysochloromorpha; Chrysochloridae). Ph.D. thesis, University of Natal, Durban.

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Populations of golden moles are often restricted to patches of suitable habitat with friable soils and abundant invertebrate prey, so that the distribution of demes is clumped, even within the more widespread taxa. Consequently, different species seldom coexist and compete for resources, even though their distribution may be broadly sympatric. If two species occur in the same area they tend to occupy different microhabitats, probably as a result of ecological displacement. Thus, for example, the Fynbos golden mole ( A. corriae) and Cape golden mole ( C. asiatica) occur together at Stellenbosch, but they inhabit different soil types. At Wakkerstroom, the Highveld golden mole ( Amblysomus septentrionalis) is found only in grasslands and around marshes, whereas Sclater’s golden mole ( Chlorotalpa sclateri) is restricted to scrub associated with montane cliffs and gorges (Roberts 1951). Duncan, P. & Wrangham, R. W. 1971. On the ecology and distribution of subterranean insectivores in Kenya. Journal of Zoology, London 164: 149-163.

Seymour, R. S., Withers, P. C. & Weathers, W. W. 1998. Energetics of burrowing, running and free-living in the Namib Desert golden mole ( Eremitalpa namibensis). Journal of Zoology, London 244: 107-117. Three species (Congo golden mole, Calcochloris leucorhinus; Somali golden mole, Calcochloris tytonis; Visagie’s golden mole, Chrysochloris visagiei) are listed as Data Deficient as so little is known about these species that their conservation status cannot be objectively assessed.

The Golden Mole: an Account of Vanishing Treasure

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. Springer M.S., Stanhope M.J., Madsen O. & de Jong W.W. 2004. Molecules consolidate the placental mammal tree. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:430–438. Willi, U. B., Bronner, G. N. & Narins P. M. 2005b. Middle ear dynamics in response to seismic stimuli in the Cape golden mole ( Chrysochloris asiatica). Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 302-313 Golden moles show many anatomical characteristics common to other fossorial mammals, these similarities being the result of ecological convergence rather than ancestry. The eyes are vestigial and covered by skin, and the optic nerve is reportedly degenerate (though there is some debate as to whether or not this is indeed so), a common tendency in animals living underground where sight is of little use. The external ear pinnae are absent (though there are small ear openings covered by dense fur), the external tail is lost, and the body has a streamlined shape to facilitate movement through the dense substratum. Bronner, G.N., Jonres E. & Coetzer, D.J. 1990. Hyoid-dentary articulations in golden moles (Mammalia: Insectivora; Chrysochloridae). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde 55:11-15.Chrysochloridae are subterranean, afrotherian mammals endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, and most of which are recorded from South Africa in particular. Other regions include Lake Victoria, Western Cape, [5] and Namibia. [6] They live in a variety of environments; forest, swamps, deserts, or mountainous terrain. Chrysospalax species tend to forage above ground in leaf litter in forests or in meadows. Eremitalpa species such as Grant's golden mole live in the sandy Namib desert, where they cannot form tunnels because the sand collapses. Instead during the day, when they must seek shelter, they "swim" through the loose sand, using their broad claws to paddle, and dive down some 50 centimetres (20in) to where it is bearably cool. There they enter a state of torpor, thus conserving energy. [7] At night they emerge to forage on the surface rather than wasting energy shifting sand. Their main prey are termites that live under isolated grass clumps, and they might travel for 6 kilometres (3.7mi) a night in search of food. They seek promising clumps by listening for wind-rustled grass-root stresses and termites' head-banging alarm signals, neither of which can be heard easily above ground, so they stop periodically and dip their heads under the sand to listen. [7] One of the reasons for the evolutionary success of golden moles may be their unique physiology. Despite a high thermal conductance, they have a low basal metabolic rate and are moderate ( Chrysochloris asiatica, Amblysomus hottentotus) to extreme ( Eremitalpa granti) thermoconformers (Bennett & Spinks, 1995; Seymour et al. 1998), thereby considerably reducing their thermoregulatory energy requirements. All species enter torpor, either daily or in response to cold temperatures. Body temperature in the thermal neutral zone is lower than in other similarly-sized mammals. The low metabolic rate of the Cape golden mole is achieved by lowering the body temperature, whereas in Grant’s golden mole it is also the result of intrinsic metabolic depression. Lowered metabolism and efficient renal function effectively reduce water requirements to the extent that most species do not need to drink. Far from being “primitive” characteristics, as was originally proposed by Withers (1978), such physiological specializations allow these moles to survive in habitats where temperatures are extreme and food is scarce, either seasonally or perennially. Ecology Willi, U. B., Bronner, G. N. & Narins P. M. 2005a. Ossicular differentiation of airborne and seismic stimuli in the Cape golden mole ( Chrysochloris asiatica). Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology 192(3): 267-277. Of the 21 species of golden mole, no fewer than 11 are threatened with extinction. The primary cause being human-induced habitat loss. Additionally sand mining, poor agricultural practices, and predation by domestic cats and dogs are causes of population decline. The very limited reproductive data available (for only a few species) suggest that golden moles breed throughout the year, perhaps with a peak in the wetter months when prey is more abundant, and may be polyoestrous (Bernard et al. 1994; Schoeman et al. 2004). Litter sizes are small (usually 2) and post-natal development is extended, reaching up to 45 days in the Cape golden mole. Behavior

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Bennett, N. C. & Spinks, A. C. 1995. Thermoregulation and metabolism in the Cape golden mole (Insectivora: Chrysochloris asiatica). Journal of Zoology, London 236: 521-529. Simonetta, A. M. 1968. A new golden mole from Somalia with an appendix on the taxonomy of the family Chrysochloridae (Mammalia: Insectivora). Monitore zoologici italiana, Supplement 2: 27-55. http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Neamblysomus_julianae/ ARKive, images of Endangered Juliana’s golden mole

Most other species construct both foraging superficial burrows and deeper permanent burrows for residence. Residential burrows are relatively complex in form and may penetrate as far as 1 metre (3ft 3in) below ground and include deep chambers for use for refuge, and other chambers as latrines. They push excavated soil up to the surface, as in mole-hills, or compact it into the tunnel walls. Golden Moles share a number of features, varying by species, seldom seen elsewhere among living mammals, including three forearm long-bones, hyoid- mandible articulation, and a hypertrophied malleus. [5] Some species have hypertrophied (enlarged) middle ear ossicles, in particular the malleus. These animals have the largest malleus relative to body size of any animal. [9] This morphology may be adapted for the detection of seismic signals. [10] [11] [12] In this respect there is some apparent convergent evolution to burrowing reptiles in the family Amphisbaenidae.