A very rare blind golden mole is found in the north of the country

The small mammal was photographed by rangers in northern Western Australia on April 2. A “very enigmatic and difficult to find” specimen.

Reappears only five times every ten years. The marsupial mole, an extremely rare species, was photographed in Australia on April 2 by rangers of the Kanyirninpa Jugurrpa system, the TV channel reported. ABC News. The small blind mammal was found on the lands of the Aboriginal Mardu people in the north of Western Australia.

“Marsupial moles are beautiful little creatures, but they're very secretive and hard to find,” desert wildlife expert Gareth Gade told ABC News.

“Kakaratul”

Nicknamed “Kagarratul” by the natives, marsupial moles are recognized by their small size and their silky golden hairs. Although they have no eyes, they have claws that allow them to quickly sink under the sand and “swim” deep into sand dunes.

Weighing 40 to 60 grams, marsupial moles need very little oxygen to survive, breathing only “the air that circulates between the grains of sand,” according to Joe Benshemesh, an expert on marsupial moles and a researcher with the National Mallefowl Rescue Team. CNN.

“We look for small footprints and then dig trenches to find their burrows,” forest ranger Lynette Wildridge told Channel Australia.

The discovery of the marsupial mole caused great excitement among the team of rangers. “They all can't wait to go home and tell their families and show their kids the pictures, because we have a lot of young people who can't wait to be Rangers when they get older,” the director told ABC News. John King, administrator of Kanyirninba Jugurba.

The marsupial mole was last seen in June 2023 near the sacred Uluru massif in the heart of the arid Red Center region of northern Australia.