Editing Golden mole

{{Short description|Monotypic family of mammals}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Chrysochloridae
| name = Golden moles<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Bronner|pages=77–81|id=11100051}}</ref>
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Lutetian|Recent|ref=<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Martin Pickford |year=2015 |title=Chrysochloridae (Mammalia) from the Lutetian (Middle Eocene) of Black Crow, Namibia |journal=Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia |volume=16 |pages=105–113 |url=http://www.mme.gov.na/files/publications/8f1_Comms%20GSN%2016,%202015%20Pickford%20Chrysochloridae%20BC,105-113.pdf }}</ref>}}
| image = Amblysomus hottentotus (Palmiet Nature Reserve, South Africa East Coast) 2.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Amblysomus hottentotus]]'' observed in [[Palmiet Nature Reserve]] near Durban, South Africa
| type_genus = ''[[Chrysochloris]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1799
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = {{species list 
|''[[Eremitalpa]]''|Roberts, 1924
|''[[Chrysospalax]]''|Gill, 1883
|''[[Chrysochloris]]''|Lacépède, 1799
|''[[Cryptochloris]]''|Shortridge & Carter, 1938
|''[[Carpitalpa]]''|Lundholm, 1955
|''[[Congo Golden Mole|Huetia]]''|Forcart, 1942
|''[[Chlorotalpa]]''|Roberts, 1924
|''[[Calcochloris]]''|Mivart, 1867
|''[[Amblysomus]]''|Pomel, 1848
|''[[Neamblysomus]]''|Roberts, 1924
|{{extinct}}''[[Damarachloris]]''|Pickford, 2019
|{{extinct}}''[[Diamantochloris]]''|Pickford, 2015
|{{extinct}}''[[Namachloris]]''|Pickford, 2015
|{{extinct}}''[[Proamblysomus]]''|Broom, 1941
|{{extinct}}''[[Prochrysochloris]]''|Butler & Hopwood, 1957
 }}
| range_map = Golden mole range.jpg
| range_map2 = Golden mole subfamilies.jpg
| range_map2_caption = Range map of the subfamilies of '' Chrysochloridae ''
| authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1825
| parent_authority = [[Robert Broom|Broom]], 1915
}}
[[File:Chrysochloris asiatica Cape golden mole adult IMG 7120.jpg|thumb|Cape golden mole (''[[Chrysochloris asiatica]]'') adult, showing the digging claw, absence of external eye and a hint of the iridescence of the fur. The [[rhinarium]] is not obvious in this photograph.]]

'''Golden moles''' are small insectivorous burrowing [[mammal]]s [[Endemism|endemic]] to [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. They comprise the family '''Chrysochloridae''' (the only family in the suborder '''Chrysochloridea''') and as such they are [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomically]] distinct from the [[mole (animal)|true moles]], family [[Talpidae]], and other [[Mole (animal)|mole]]-like families, all of which, to various degrees, they resemble as a result of [[Convergent evolution|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.

== Taxonomy ==
Despite their extreme evolutionary convergence with moles, their closest relatives are the [[Potamogalidae|otter shrews]] and [[Tenrec|tenrecs]]. They are more distantly related to other insectivorous African mammals such as [[Aardvark|aardvarks]] and [[Elephant shrew|elephant shrews]], and even more distantly related to [[Elephant|elephants]] and [[Sirenia|sirenians]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ciszek |first1=Deborah |last2=Myers |first2=Phil |title=Chrysochloridae (golden moles) |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chrysochloridae/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}}</ref>

==Characteristics and affinities==
Like most burrowing mammals with similar habits, the Chrysochloridae have short legs with powerful digging claws, very dense fur that repels dirt and moisture, and toughened skin, particularly on the head. The fur varies from black to pale yellow or grey, and has an iridescent sheen of green, blue, violet or copper when viewed in light.<ref name="Skinner">{{cite book |last1=Skinner |first1=John D. |last2=Chimimba |first2=Christian T. |title=The mammals of the southern African subregion |date=2005 |publisher=Cambridge university press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0521844185 |edition=third revised}}</ref> 

Their eyes are non-functional and covered with furred skin. The external ears are just tiny openings. In particular, golden moles bear a remarkable resemblance to the [[marsupial mole]]s of [[Australia]], family [[Notoryctidae]], which they resemble so suggestively that at one time, the [[marsupial]]/[[placental]] divide notwithstanding, some argued that they were related. Considerations that influenced the debate might have included the view that the Chrysochloridae are very primitive placentals and the fact that they have many mole-like specializations similar to specializations in marsupial moles. 

The [[rhinarium]] is a greatly enlarged, dry leathery pad that protects their nostrils while the animal digs. In this respect, too, they resemble the marsupial moles. Some authors claim their primary sense is of [[somatosensory system|touch]], and they are particularly sensitive to vibrations, which may indicate approaching danger.<ref name=EoM>{{cite book|editor= Macdonald, D.|author= Kuyper, Margaret|year= 1984|title= The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher= Facts on File|location= New York|pages= [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/764 764–765]|isbn= 978-0-87196-871-5|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/764}}</ref> Note below, however, the observations on the [[malleus]] in the middle ear.

The species range in size from about {{convert|8|cm}} to about {{convert|20|cm}}. They have muscular shoulders and the forelimbs are radically adapted for digging; all the toes on the forefeet have been reduced, except for a large, pick-like third claw on the third toe. In comparison to true moles, the fifth digit is absent and the first and fourth digits are vestigial. The adaptations of the hind feet are less dramatic: They retain all five toes and are webbed as an adaptation to efficient backward shoveling of soil loosened by the front claws.<ref name="Skinner" />

At one time, the Chrysochloridae were regarded as [[Primitive (phylogenetics)|primitive]]. Supporting arguments of this included that they were thought to have originated in [[Gondwana]], that they had a low resting metabolic rate, and that they could switch off thermoregulation when inactive. Like the [[tenrec]]s, they possess a [[cloaca]], and males lack a [[scrotum]]. However, these points are no longer regarded as strongly suggestive of golden moles as undeveloped "reptilian mammals"; some are seen rather as adaptations to regional climatic conditions. Going into a [[torpor]] when resting or during cold weather enables them to conserve energy and reduce urgent requirements for food. Similarly, they have developed particularly efficient kidneys, and some species do not need to drink water at all<!-- see Katherine Rundell: [https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v41/n08/katherine-rundell/consider-the-golden-mole ''Consider the Golden Mole''] -->. They tend to drown if they fall into water.

==Habits and ecology==
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]],<ref name="Asher Maree Bronner et al 2010">{{cite journal |last1=Asher |first1=Robert J. |last2=Maree |first2=Sarita |last3=Bronner |first3=Gary |last4=Bennett |first4=Nigel C. |last5=Bloomer |first5=Paulette |last6=Czechowski |first6=Paul |last7=Meyer |first7=Matthias |last8=Hofreiter |first8=Michael |title=A phylogenetic estimate for golden moles (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Chrysochloridae) |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |date=9 March 2010 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=69 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-10-69 |pmid=20214773 |s2cid=2276457 |pmc=2850353 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2010BMCEE..10...69A }}</ref> and Namibia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scicom.ucsc.edu/publications/QandA/2011/narins.html | title=Peter Narins, animal physiologist |date=28 March 2011 |work=The SciCom Interviews }}</ref> 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 {{convert|50|cm}} to where it is bearably cool. There they enter a state of [[torpor]], thus conserving energy.<ref name="Piper 2007">[[Ross Piper|Piper, Ross]] (2007), ''Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals'', [[Greenwood Press (publisher)|Greenwood Press]]{{pn|date=June 2022}}</ref> 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 {{convert|6|km}} 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.<ref name="Piper 2007"/>

Most other species construct both foraging superficial burrows and deeper permanent [[burrow]]s for residence. Residential burrows are relatively complex in form and may penetrate as far as {{convert|1|m}} 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. 

They feed on small insects and earthworms or small vertebrates such as lizards or burrowing snakes. They depend on their sense of hearing to locate much of their prey, and the [[cochlea]]s of a number of golden mole species have been found to be long and highly coiled, which may indicate a greater ecological dependence on low frequency auditory cues than seen in [[Talpidae|Talpid]] moles.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Crumpton |first1=Nick |last2=Kardjilov |first2=Nikolay |last3=Asher |first3=Robert J. |title=Convergence vs. Specialization in the ear region of moles (mammalia) |journal=Journal of Morphology |date=August 2015 |volume=276 |issue=8 |pages=900–914 |doi=10.1002/jmor.20391 |pmid=25858660 |s2cid=10039064 }}</ref>

==Morphology==
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]].<ref name="Asher Maree Bronner et al 2010"/>  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.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-008045046-9.01826-X |chapter=Seismic and Vibrational Signals in Animals |title=Encyclopedia of Neuroscience |year=2009 |last1=Narins |first1=P.M. |last2=Losin |first2=N. |last3=O'Connell-Rodwell |first3=C.E. |pages=545–549 |isbn=978-0-08-045046-9 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qX4KAQAAQBAJ&pg=RA7-PA545 }}</ref> This morphology may be adapted for the detection of seismic signals.<ref name="Eberle">{{cite journal |last1=Eberle |first1=Ute |title=Life in the soil was thought to be silent. What if it isn't? |journal=Knowable Magazine |date=9 February 2022 |doi=10.1146/knowable-020922-2 |s2cid=246770511 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mason |first1=Matthew J. |title=Morphology of the middle ear of golden moles (Chrysochloridae) |journal=Journal of Zoology |date=August 2003 |volume=260 |issue=4 |pages=391–403 |doi=10.1017/S095283690300387X }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mason |first1=Matthew J. |last2=Narins |first2=Peter M. |title=Seismic Signal Use by Fossorial Mammals |journal=American Zoologist |date=October 2001 |volume=41 |issue=5 |pages=1171–1184 |doi=10.1093/icb/41.5.1171 |jstor=3884562 |citeseerx=10.1.1.547.3698 }}</ref> In this respect there is some apparent convergent evolution to burrowing reptiles in the family [[Amphisbaenidae]].

==Reproduction==
Females give birth to one to three hairless young in a grass-lined nest within the burrow system. Breeding occurs throughout the year. The adults are solitary, and their burrowing territory may be aggressively defended from intruders, especially where resources are relatively scarce.<ref name=EoM/>

==Status==
Of the 21 species of golden mole, no fewer than 11 are threatened with extinction, the primary cause of which being human-induced habitat loss. Additionally [[sand mining]], poor agricultural practices, and predation by domestic cats and dogs are causes of population decline.

==Classification==
{{see also|List of afrosoricids}}
The taxonomy of the Chrysochloridae is undergoing a review in the light of new genetic information. They have traditionally been listed with the [[shrew]]s, [[hedgehog]]s and a grab-bag of small, difficult-to-place creatures as part of the order [[Insectivora]]. Some authorities retain this classification, at least for the time being. Others group the golden moles with the [[tenrec]]s in a new order, which is sometimes known as [[Tenrecomorpha]], while others call it [[Afrosoricida]] and reserve Tenrecomorpha for the family Tenrecidae.

* '''ORDER [[Afrosoricida|AFROSORICIDA]]'''
** Suborder [[Tenrecomorpha]]
*** Family [[Tenrecidae]]: tenrecs, 34 species in 10 genera
** '''Suborder Chrysochloridea'''
*** '''Family Chrysochloridae'''
**** Subfamily [[Chrysochlorinae]]
***** Genus ''[[Carpitalpa]]''
****** [[Arends's golden mole]] (''Carpitalpa arendsi'')
***** Genus ''[[Chlorotalpa]]''
****** [[Duthie's golden mole]] (''Chlorotalpa duthieae'')
****** [[Sclater's golden mole]] (''Chlorotalpa sclateri'')
***** Genus ''[[Chrysochloris]]''
****** Subgenus ''Chrysochloris''
******* [[Cape golden mole]] (''Chrysochloris asiatica'')
******* [[Visagie's golden mole]] (''Chrysochloris visagiei'')
****** Subgenus ''Kilimatalpa''
******* [[Stuhlmann's golden mole]] (''Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'')
***** Genus ''[[Chrysospalax]]''
****** [[Giant golden mole]] (''Chrysospalax trevelyani'')
****** [[Rough-haired golden mole]] (''Chrysospalax villosus'')
***** Genus ''[[Cryptochloris]]''
****** [[De Winton's golden mole]] (''Cryptochloris wintoni'')
****** [[Van Zyl's golden mole]] (''Cryptochloris zyli'')
***** Genus ''[[Eremitalpa]]''
****** [[Grant's golden mole]] (''Eremitalpa granti'')
**** Subfamily [[Amblysominae]]
***** Genus ''[[Amblysomus]]''
****** [[Fynbos golden mole]] (''Amblysomus corriae'')
****** [[Hottentot golden mole]] (''Amblysomus hottentotus'')
****** [[Marley's golden mole]] (''Amblysomus marleyi'')
****** [[Robust golden mole]] (''Amblysomus robustus'')
****** [[Highveld golden mole]] (''Amblysomus septentrionalis'')
***** Genus ''[[Calcochloris]]''
****** Subgenus ''Calcochloris''
******* [[Yellow golden mole]] (''Calcochloris obtusirostris'')
****** Subgenus ''[[incertae sedis]]''
******* [[Somali golden mole]] (''Calcochloris tytonis'')
*****Genus ''Huetia''
****** [[Congo golden mole]] (''Huetia leucorhina'')
***** Genus ''[[Neamblysomus]]''
****** [[Juliana's golden mole]] (''Neamblysomus julianae'')
****** [[Gunning's golden mole]] (''Neamblysomus gunningi'')

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Rundell |first1=Katherine |author-link=Katherine Rundell|url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v41/n08/katherine-rundell/consider-the-golden-mole |year=2022 |title=Consider the Golden Mole |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0571362493}}

{{Afrosoricida|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q23351}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Mole}}
[[Category:Afrosoricida]]
[[Category:Extant Lutetian first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray]]