De Winton's golden mole
species of mammal
De Winton's golden mole (Cryptochloris wintoni) is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and sandy shores. Following a sighting in 1937, De Winton's golden mole was not observed for over 86 years until its rediscovery in 2023. It is threatened by habitat destruction and is listed by the IUCN, despite the recent sighting, as "critically endangered" and possibly extinct. It was named after British zoologist William Edward de Winton.
Description
De Winton's golden mole resembles Grant's golden mole (Eremitalpa granti) in appearance. The upper parts have short dense fur that is slate-grey with a yellowish tinge. Individual hairs have grey bases, whitish shafts and fawn tips. The face, cheeks and lips have a more intense yellowish tinge.
“De Winton's golden mole” enters the record as species of mammal. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Winton's, golden and mole can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1770353. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1937 and 2023.
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This entry incorporates text from “De Winton's golden mole” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.