A golden mole of robust, powerful build, restricted to a small cluster of high-altitude grasslands and marshes in the eastern Highveld of Mpumalanga. It is set apart from its closest relatives mainly by its markedly heavier build and by a chromosome number of its own, discovered only through genetic study. Like all its relatives, it spends its whole life underground, completely blind and guided by touch and vibration.
Small cylindrical body with no visible tail or external ears, markedly more robust and heavier-built than related golden moles, with fur that has a metallic sheen. It cannot be reliably told from other Amblysomus species by appearance alone, so its distribution within the Steenkampsberg area, in Mpumalanga, is the main clue to identification.
Raised ridges at the surface tracing shallow foraging tunnels in soft, friable soil, most visible after rain. The deeper permanent burrows avoid shallow rocky substrates. It leaves no visible tracks or droppings, given its wholly subterranean habits.
Marshes, grassland and disturbed ground such as gardens and farmland in the eastern Highveld of Mpumalanga (South Africa), preferring friable soils, from sandy to heavier clays.
Insectivorous, feeding on earthworms and other soil invertebrates found while digging.
Solitary and territorial, active mainly underground, with occasional activity near the surface after rain, like other golden moles.
It is restricted to one small area of suitable habitat that is declining in both extent and quality, which places the species at real risk despite the absence of a single dramatic threat.
Habitat loss and degradation from coal mining, agriculture and afforestation within its narrow range in the Mpumalanga Highveld.
See all species accounts for tenrecs and golden moles · Full species index
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