The Blind, Earless, Marsupial Mole
The marsupial mole is blind, their eyes having become reduced to vestigial (an ancestral retention that has lost all or part of its original function) lenses under the skin, and they have no external ears, just a pair of tiny holes hidden under thick hair. The head is cone-shaped, with a leathery shield over the muzzle, their body is tubular, and the tail is a short, bald stub. Read more about these fascinating critters.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Notoryctidae
Weight: 1.4 – 2.1 ounces
Length: 4.7 – 6.3 inches
Lifespan: Unknown | Only up to a month in captivity
Now on to the Facts!
1.) They use their forelimbs and enlarged central claws to dig their burrows.
2.) Their pouch has evolved to face backwards so it does not fill with sand, and contains just two teats, so they can’t have more than 2 young at a time.
3.) The marsupial mole typically doesn’t drink water, instead they get all or most of their hydration from the arthropods, insect eggs, larvae, pupae, seeds, and lizards they eat.
4.) Marsupial moles spend nearly their entire lives underground!
5.) This mole can dig at depths of up to 7.5 feet.
But wait, there’s more on the marsupial mole!
6.) The moles are solitary creatures that typically only come together to mate.
7.) Marsupial mole do not make permanent tunnels, but rather dig through sand and the sand caves in behind them.
Did you know…?
These moles have been recorded to suddenly “faint” on the surface without waking up for several hours until disturbed.
8.) Aborigines have made the marsupial mole part of their mythology going back thousands of years.
