Northern Marsupial Mole
The northern marsupial mole (Notoryctes caurinus) is the second of the two species of marsupial mole, a blind burrower of the sandy deserts of Western Australia. It looks like a mole but is a marsupial.
The northern marsupial mole (Notoryctes caurinus) is the second of the two species of marsupial mole, a blind burrower of the sandy deserts of Western Australia. It looks like a mole but is a marsupial.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Northern Marsupial Mole in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Mammals lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Two Species of Marsupial Mole
The northern and southern marsupial moles are similar, but the northern is smaller and lives in the sand dunes of the northwest. Both are rarely seen on the surface.
Image Note
The Field Guide has no licensed photograph of this species and displays a clearly labeled illustration.
Mole-Like by Convergence
Its body shape comes from convergent evolution for life underground. See Southern Marsupial Mole.
Northern Marsupial Mole at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Notoryctes caurinus |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Notoryctemorphia |
| Family | Notoryctidae |
| Field Guide group | Mammals: Marsupialia (Metatherians) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Blind, earless, silky golden-furred burrower of Australian deserts with huge spade-like claws on its front feet; 'swims' through sand and lets its tunnel collapse behind it. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2016 |
| Order | Notoryctemorphia |
| Habitat | Sandy deserts of northwestern Australia |
See Also
- Southern Marsupial Mole — the other marsupial mole
- European Mole Cricket — another convergent burrower