(Credit: pixabay)
An amazing reversal of circumstances has led to the discovery of a species thought to be extinct. In the sand dunes of South Africa, the De Winton’s golden mole, last observed in 1937, has been sighted once more.
After much hunting, researchers have finally discovered this elusive critter in the Port Nolloth area, where it lives in sandy conditions and digs unusual tunnels. They examined more than a hundred sand samples in an effort to find environmental DNA (eDNA), or the genetic remnants the animal left behind.
“We were hopeful that by locating and sequencing the DNA of De Winton’s golden mole, we could identify it if it was still in the wild,” conservation geneticist Samantha Mynhardt of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and Stellenbosch University said.
Due to its limited distribution, the golden mole was difficult to differentiate from other golden mole species. A specially trained sniffer dog was used to distinguish between common golden moles and the rarer De Winton’s after finding new tracks. The rare species’ presence was inferred by the dog’s lack of reactivity to the footprints.
The DNA of common golden moles and an additional, unidentified group was first identified by the eDNA tests. The discovery was made possible by the identification of the mole, which was confirmed when a DNA sample from a De Winton specimen in the Iziko South African Museum matched the unknown DNA.
Four further populations of De Winton’s golden moles have been discovered since the species’ rediscovery. Senior conservation manager for EWT Cobus Theron shared his hope, saying, “I always believed De Winton’s golden mole was out there, despite skepticism.” It only required employing the appropriate techniques and assembling a committed team.
Curiously, golden moles aren’t really moles. Because of evolutionary convergence, they are more closely related to otter shrews and tenrecs despite looking like moles.
