The Golden Mole - lost to science for almost 100 years and rediscovered

2024-01-02

The De Winton’s golden mole was last seen in 1937 and was declared lost to science. But a team of researchers recently used environmental DNA to find it again and also managed to get hold of one of the moles and take DNA sample swabs. I speak to Dr. Samantha Mynhardt, a Conservation Genetics Researcher, about their discovery on the South African West Coast. We talk about the potentials of the use of environmental DNA in conservation, the sniffer dog they used to detect the golden mole, why it is b...

The De Winton’s golden mole was last seen in 1937 and was declared lost to science.

But a team of researchers recently used environmental DNA to find it again and also managed to get hold of one of the moles and take DNA sample swabs.

I speak to Dr. Samantha Mynhardt, a Conservation Genetics Researcher, about their discovery on the South African West Coast.

We talk about the potentials of the use of environmental DNA in conservation, the sniffer dog they used to detect the golden mole, why it is better if some species are left undiscovered but why finding the De Winton's mole is good, the threats against it and more.

Samantha is part of the Drylands Conservation Programme, for the Endangered Wildlife Trust and an extraordinary lecturer for the Department of Botany and Zoology at the Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

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