- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
- EU chief announces 35 bn euro loan plan for Ukraine before winter
- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
- Verstappen punished for swearing in Singapore press conference
- Sri Lanka lead by 202 in first New Zealand Test
- Brook 'not too fussed' by England's batting in heavy Australia loss
- India's Ashwin 'happy' to embrace pressure
- A modern 'Trojan Horse': two days of mayhem in Lebanon
- Third of Burundi mpox cases in children under five: UN
- Man Utd appoint Foster + Partners to develop Old Trafford 'masterplan'
- French mayor sorry for 'no one died' remark over mass rape trial
- Mohamed Al-Fayed, outsider shunned by British high society
- Lawyers say 'monster' late Harrods owner abused dozens of women
- India in box seat after Bumrah takes four against Bangladesh
- Taiwan retains death penalty but limits use to 'exceptional' cases
- Ferrari's Leclerc sets early pace in Singapore ahead of Norris
- 10 years into Huthi rule, some Yemenis count the cost
- France poised to finally get new govt
- Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson doubtful for Bournemouth clash
- Bayern's Kompany calls for game cap for players amid strike talks
- Christie's expands Hong Kong footprint in hope of art market 'pickup'
- Sultry screen legend Sophia Loren turns 90
- Cambodian opposition figure in court on incitement charge
- Kimchi threat as heatwave drives up South Korea cabbage prices
- UK economic data delivers fresh blow to new govt
- China to 'gradually resume' seafood imports from Japan after Fukushima ban
- India minister blames dam release for flooding
- O'Rourke strikes early for Kiwis as Sri Lanka trail by three
- Israel pounds Lebanon's Hezbollah after device blasts
- Revolution or mirage? Controversy surrounds new Alzheimer's drugs
- Ashwin's 113 powers India to 376 in Bangladesh Test
- Biden opens home to 'Quad' leaders for farewell summit
- Sally Rooney returns with 30-something questions
- Wallabies sense 'massive' chance to upset All Blacks
- Taiwan questions two in probe into Hezbollah pagers
- Viral Korean Olympic shooter scores first acting role as assassin
- Farrell set for 'challenge' of downing Bordeaux in Top 14
- Springbok Etzebeth diverts attention from looming caps record
- Inter on a high ahead of Milan derby as Napoli face Juve test
- Bank of Japan leaves key interest rate unchanged
- Asian markets track Wall Street record to extend global rally
- Guirassy and Anton to return to Stuttgart with new side Dortmund
CMSC | -0.12% | 25.09 | $ | |
BCE | -0.74% | 34.93 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.08% | 25.03 | $ | |
SCS | -2.94% | 12.93 | $ | |
JRI | -0.37% | 13.35 | $ | |
BCC | -0.85% | 143.473 | $ | |
RBGPF | 5.79% | 60.5 | $ | |
NGG | 0.83% | 69.405 | $ | |
RIO | -1.42% | 64.265 | $ | |
GSK | -1.17% | 41.14 | $ | |
RELX | -0.08% | 48.09 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 6.96 | $ | |
VOD | -0.31% | 10.029 | $ | |
AZN | -0.48% | 78.52 | $ | |
BTI | -0.24% | 37.48 | $ | |
BP | -0.44% | 32.615 | $ |
Bashful golden mole detected in South Africa after 87 years
A golden mole that "swims" in sand has resurfaced in South Africa after 87 years in the wilderness when many specialists feared it had become extinct, researchers have said.
Traces of two De Winton's golden moles have been found under the sands of a beach after a "detective novel search", said Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) senior field officer Esther Matthew on Tuesday.
EWT and University of Pretoria researchers covered up to 18 kilometres (11.2 miles) of dune habitat a day as they spent months hunting for signs, said Matthew.
The blind moles are cute but excessively timid.
They pick inaccessible areas to burrow homes and have extremely sensitive hearing to detect ground vibrations made by anyone who could be looking for them. The last scientific trace dates back to 1936.
The team used a scent-detecting Border Collie dog, Jessie, to find traces of the moles' tunnels.
There are 21 species of golden moles and the De Winton's were detected using environmental DNA samples -- skin, hair and bodily excretions -- taken from soil at Port Nolloth beach on the northwest coast.
More than 100 samples were collected from the dunes.
Even now the researchers have not physically seen the blind mole that has an iridescent coat sheen that allows it to "swim" through sand.
To finally make a connection, they have made videos and taken photos.
The De Winton's golden mole was one of the top 25 animals on a list of long-lost species drawn up by the Re:wild non-government group in 2017.
Eleven have now been discovered again.
Christina Biggs, a lost species specialist for Re:wild, praised the persistence of the team that found the moles.
"They left no sandhill unturned and now it’s possible to protect the areas where these threatened and rare moles live," said Biggs.
The use of environmental DNA was a "case study on how such forward-thinking technologies can be utilised to find other lost species."
The team found traces of four other golden moles in the same region. Matthew said the De Winton's are still threatened by mining and residential developments near the beaches that are their home.
X.M.Francisco--PC