Strange Secrets Unveiled: Discovering the Truly Extraordinary Australian Mole!

Recent studies concerning one of Australia’s most unique and peculiar creatures have disclosed that the marsupial mole’s biology is just as remarkable as its looks.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne, who spearheaded the investigation, collected DNA from a museum specimen and subsequently sequenced and scrutinized its genome to reveal the evolutionary mysteries of the golden-haired species, about which “almost nothing is understood”.

Although the creature bears a striking similarity to “true” moles from Africa and regions of the northern hemisphere, marsupial moles are more closely associated with bandicoots and bilbies, the research published in Science Advances remarked.

Additionally, the species had an extra gene for haemoglobin, the molecule that transports oxygen throughout the body, which the researchers indicated may represent an adaptation to an underground existence in low-oxygen environments.

Dr. Stephen Frankenberg, an expert in reproductive biology and genetics, and the principal author of the research, mentioned that the examination indicated the species likely gradually lost its vision over millions of years, with the lens deteriorating first, followed by the loss of color perception.

Numerous inquiries remain unresolved, he stated.

Referred to as “itjaritjari” by Indigenous Aṉangu communities, marsupial moles can currently be located in north-western, central, and southern Australia.

Their ancestors probably originated from rainforests in north Queensland, as evidenced by a 20 million-year-old fossil found in the Riversleigh world heritage area, explained Mike Archer, a professor at the University of New South Wales.

“The marsupial mole is just one of many species we’re discovering that have contemporary representatives in arid and desert habitats, yet had their predecessors in rainforest,” remarked Archer, who was not a participant in the recent research.

His study examining the mole’s fossil ancestor also suggested that bandicoots were likely close living relatives.

Dr. Sean Buckley, a molecular ecologist at Edith Cowan University, who was not part of the study, stated that the species was “incredibly elusive” and “not extensively researched” since researchers could “seldom locate them in the wild.”

Marsupial moles were unlike any other creature, he noted. “They’re nearly the ideal emblem for the extraordinary and peculiar fauna we possess in Australia, and why it’s crucial to protect them.”