Extinct for nearly 90 years was unexpectedly found thanks to a dog

Last seen in 1937, researchers never expected to see this animal among the sand dunes of South Africa.

The De Winton's golden mole is a South African endemic animal, named after the British zoologist William Edward de Winton, whose scientific name is Cryptochloris wintoni. The "golden" in the name does not refer to its golden fur, but rather to the fact that this animal secretes a lubricating substance on its fur, which allows it to burrow through sand easily. This also means that it does not need to create underground tunnels like other common moles, making the De Winton's golden mole harder to detect.

The first thing you notice when you see this animal is that it has almost no vision. However, De Winton’s golden mole has extremely sensitive hearing, and can sense movement on the ground. Due to its elusive nature and irregular burrowing behavior, the animal has been listed as “most wanted” on the list of lost species compiled by the global conservation group Re:wild.

De Winton's Golden Mole.

The natural habitat of the De Winton's golden mole is subtropical dry scrubland, sandy shorelines and Mediterranean-type scrub vegetation. However, it is threatened by habitat destruction and is listed as “critically endangered”.

The last sighting of the De Winton's golden mole was in South Africa in 1937. Nearly 90 years have passed since then, and the species has never been seen again and is believed to be extinct.

In a seemingly hopeless search that lasted for years, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) enlisted the help of a border collie named Jessie, who had been specially trained to sniff out De Winton’s golden mole. Finally, in November 2023, the team finally found De Winton’s golden mole in the coastal town of Port Nolloth in northwestern South Africa .

The search team said that each time Jessie stopped, they collected a soil sample to test for environmental DNA (eDNA). This can detect DNA from skin cells, urine, feces and mucus, which De Winton's golden moles secrete as they move through the dunes. Using this technique, the team searched up to 18km of dunes in one day. After collecting a total of 100 sand samples, they finally found two De Winton's golden moles.

De Winton's golden mole spends most of its life underground.

There are 21 known species of golden mole in the wild, most of which live only in South Africa. Although they look similar, their genetic makeup is different. That is why, despite years of field research, the De Winton golden mole has never actually been found.

“Now we have not only solved the puzzle [of De Winton’s golden mole not being extinct], but also explored the frontiers of eDNA, ” said Cobus Theron, senior conservation manager at EWT and a member of the search team. “This opens up a lot of opportunities, not just for moles but for other species that are either extinct or threatened.”

Species are now going extinct at a much higher rate than would be expected from evolution, largely due to the harmful impact of humans on their natural habitats. Experts at the World Wildlife Fund believe that the modern extinction rate is up to 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. However, the rediscovery of a species thought to be extinct, such as the De Winton’s golden mole, offers a glimmer of hope.

Nguyen An

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/loai-vat-quy-hiem-bac-nhat-hanh-tinh-tuyet-chung-gan-90-nam-bat-ngo-duoc-tim-thay-nho-mot-chu-cho-172241109224827945.htm