About De Winton’s Golden Mole:
- It is an elusive blind mole that "swims" through sand, lives in inaccessible burrows, and has a shimmering, iridescent coat.
- Scientific Name: Cryptochloris wintoni
- Distribution:
- It is endemic to South Africa.
- It has only ever been recorded in one location-Port Nolloth, on South Africa's northwest coast-where it was last sighted in 1937.
- Habitat: Its natural habitats are subtropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and sandy shores.
- Features:
- The upper parts have short, dense fur that is slate-grey with a yellowish tinge.
- Individual hairs have grey bases, whitish shafts, and fawn tips.
- The face, cheeks, and lips have a more intense yellowish tinge.
- The underparts are rather paler than the upper parts, with individual hairs having white tips.
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now rates this species as "critically endangered". It is currently the only golden mole species with that classification.
- It is among the 25 “most wanted lost” species that are the focus of Global Wildlife Conservation's “Search for Lost Species” initiative.
