One can only envy the sense of humor of nature. Sometimes she manages to combine incompatible elements in one animal. Can you imagine a mixture of moles and kangaroos? A sort of small underground resident with a bag on his abdomen.
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Marsupial moles are absolutely amazing animals. They live only in Australia and belong to the genus of marsupial mammals. Rod does not have an extensive list of representatives. It consists of two types of animals:
- Notoryctes typhlops, which means actually a marsupial mole.
- Notoryctes caurinus, i.e. the northern marsupial mole.
The first species was described in 1889, and the second - relatively recently, in 1920. There are no large differences between species. Northern marsupial animal is slightly smaller. An analogue of the marsupial mole is the African goldilocks. But, despite the fact that the animals are very similar, they are not related species. This similarity is called convergence. This term describes an evolutionary process that allows similar environmental conditions to influence the appearance of organisms belonging to different systematic groups.
Australia is a unique continent, on which many endemic species have survived. Marsupial moles are also endemic, as they are not found in other territories. These animals on the mainland occupy the ecological niche of ordinary moles, which are completely absent in this area.
What does a marsupial mole look like?
Small animals lead mostly underground lifestyles, which could not but affect their appearance. The body of animals is quite strong, somewhat smooth, that is, gradually tapering to the tail. The tail itself has a conical shape, and its length does not exceed 3 cm. The size of the animal is small, a maximum of 18 cm. It remains to find out what is the largest mass of the marsupial mole. The largest instance that fell into the hands of people weighed only 70 g, the smallest - 40 g
The animal has a short neck, which consists of five fused vertebrae. During natural selection, it was necessary to increase the patency of the animal, for this the stiffness of the neck was strengthened by nature. The small tail is also tough, ring scales are located on it, and the tip is keratinized. Marsupial moles have five-fingered paws, but fingers and claws are unevenly developed. To make it easier for animals to dig moves, the 3rd and 4th fingers end with large triangular claws. The animal uses its hind legs to discard the dug soil, so the claws on them are flatter.
The skin of the marsupial baby is soft and thick. It can be white, light brown and golden. Since the sand of deserts in Australia is rich in iron, the color of the fur cover may be slightly reddish.
How the nose and eyes are arranged
Marsupial moles have a small conical head with a dense horn shield. This device covers the nose, allowing you to tear sand in the face. The nostrils look like small cracks, and the eyes are generally underdeveloped as unnecessary. In their structure, the lens and pupil are absent, and the optic nerve is the rudiment. But the lacrimal glands play a significant role: they abundantly moisten the nasal cavity and prevent it from clogging with the ground.
How is the bag
On the abdomen of the animal is a special small skin pocket. This is a brood bag designed for feeding small and very underdeveloped cubs. In marsupial moles, this adaptation is slightly different than in other species. It opens back so that sand does not get inside. Inside there is an incomplete partition. In each "pocket" of the brood bag there is one nipple. Males on the belly also have a small transverse fold, which is the rudiment of a brood bag.
Lifestyle
Now you have an idea who the marsupial mole looks like. It remains to find out how he lives. Animals are found in the sandy deserts of Western Australia and the northern territory. Favorite places are dunes and river dunes.
The animal digs deep burrows only during the breeding season. He spends the rest of the time under the sandy surface. In the direction of the marsupial mole, the tunnels do not remain, since the sand does not hold well. But on the surface of the sand a peculiar triple trace is visible. The marsupial mole moves with amazing speed. It is difficult to catch, because the animal is buried very nimble.
Moles live one at a time. Activity is shown in the daytime and at night. They rarely get to the surface, usually after rain.
Reproduction of these animal species has not been studied. Observing them under natural conditions is almost impossible, and in captivity they do not live long. The offspring of females appears in deep burrows. Most likely, there are 2 babies in the brood (since the bag has 2 pockets). The average life span of a marsupial mole is about one and a half years.
Nutrition
The marsupial mole, a photo of which can be seen in our article, has a good appetite. Most of the time the animal spends in search of a food source. It can be aboveground and underground insects, worms and larvae. Often animals feed on ant pupae. Sometimes more substantial prey - small lizards - gets into the food.
Marsupial moles are recognized as an endangered species. They were listed in the Red Book to create conditions for the conservation and study of animals.