Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of De Winton's golden mole (Cryptochloris wintoni), recorded as Critically Endangered
De Winton's golden mole (Cryptochloris wintoni). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

De Winton's golden mole

Cryptochloris wintoni

De Winton's golden mole is a mammal in the family Chrysochloridae (order Afrosoricida) — Cryptochloris wintoni, recorded as Critically Endangered and tied to South Africa.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Cryptochloris wintoni
Recorded from
South Africa
Taxonomy
Mammalia · Afrosoricida · Chrysochloridae · Cryptochloris

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.

The claw on the third digit on the forefoot is about 10.5 mm (0.41 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide at the base.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and sandy shores. It is threatened by habitat destruction and is listed by the IUCN, despite the recent sighting, as "critically endangered" and possibly extinct.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

De Winton's golden mole is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on De Winton's golden mole, Wikidata item Q1770353. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

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Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

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Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

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Quick answers

What is De Winton's golden mole?
De Winton's golden mole is a mammal in the family Chrysochloridae (order Afrosoricida) — Cryptochloris wintoni.
What is the conservation status of De Winton's golden mole?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Cryptochloris wintoni. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does De Winton's golden mole live?
It is endemic to South Africa.
Why is De Winton's golden mole in crisis?
It is threatened by habitat destruction and is listed by the IUCN, despite the recent sighting, as "critically endangered" and possibly extinct.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Cryptochloris wintoni?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is De Winton's golden mole a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.