- Feb 5, 2002
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Indigenous Rangers Photograph Blind ‘Marsupial Mole’ Seldom Seen by Humans Amid its Strange and Wild Land
Northern marsupial mole – Courtesy of KJ Rangers
This tiny creature is a northern marsupial mole, a card-carrying member of one of the strangest landscapes on Earth.
The Western Deserts of Australia bristle, slither, and burrow with life; much of it unseen by the few passersby. The extreme aridity and heat have caused these animals to adapt in strange ways; few stranger than this marsupial mole which is seen just a few times every decade.
Small, blind, hairy, and shy, the marsupial moles carry their young around in a pouch like kangaroos, but burrow underground using their noses to make up for their lack of eyesight like moles.
“Some people’s first thought was, ‘Are these photos an April Fools’ Day joke?'” desert wildlife expert Gareth Catt told ABC News Down Under. “To see a close-up photo like this is really exciting—I’ve never seen one myself so I’m pretty jealous of the rangers!”
The rangers Mr. Catt is referring to are the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) Martu rangers, a group of Aboriginal conservationists who make their homes and their bread in the Western Deserts in the state of Western Australia.
Continued below.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
This tiny creature is a northern marsupial mole, a card-carrying member of one of the strangest landscapes on Earth.
The Western Deserts of Australia bristle, slither, and burrow with life; much of it unseen by the few passersby. The extreme aridity and heat have caused these animals to adapt in strange ways; few stranger than this marsupial mole which is seen just a few times every decade.
Small, blind, hairy, and shy, the marsupial moles carry their young around in a pouch like kangaroos, but burrow underground using their noses to make up for their lack of eyesight like moles.
“Some people’s first thought was, ‘Are these photos an April Fools’ Day joke?'” desert wildlife expert Gareth Catt told ABC News Down Under. “To see a close-up photo like this is really exciting—I’ve never seen one myself so I’m pretty jealous of the rangers!”
The rangers Mr. Catt is referring to are the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) Martu rangers, a group of Aboriginal conservationists who make their homes and their bread in the Western Deserts in the state of Western Australia.
Continued below.
Indigenous Rangers Photograph Blind 'Marsupial Mole' Seldom Seen by Humans Amid its Strange and Wild Land
The wildlife living in Australia's deserts are odd as the fish and invertebrates of the deep ocean are odd, and this mole is a good example
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
