golden mole, noun phrase

Origin:
Named for the metallic gleam of its fur.
a. Any of several species of insectivorous mole-like mammals of the family Chrysochloridae, with no visible eyes and no external ears or tails. Cf. blesmol.
1855 W.S. Dallas in System of Nat. Hist. II. 490The peculiar metallic lustre of their coats, which has given rise to the name of Golden Mole (Chrysochloris aurea).
1905 W.L. Sclater in Flint & Gilchrist Science in S. Afr. 135The Chrysochloridae (Golden Moles) and the Macroscelidae (Elephant Shrews), though not confined to South Africa, are restricted to the Continent, and apparently have their headquarters in the south.
1912 State Sept. 229 (Pettman)The golden mole is tailless, whereas the blesmol, mole rat and sand mole have short tails. In the golden mole the fur has a metallic sheen.
c1939 S.H. Skaife S. Afr. Nature Notes 163We have two distinct types of moles in South Africa — the little golden moles..which are insectivorous, and the sand moles, or mole rats, which are vegetarians...The golden moles are peculiar to Africa.
1972 Cape Times 13 Mar. 10A sequence on the Golden Mole — first discovered near Gobabeb in 1963 — shows a blind animal..evolved to live under the baking sands of the Namib.
1978 Darling 22 Nov. 33Hidden in the sand dunes safe from the fierce heat and predators there are shovel-nosed lizards, the translucent palmeto gecko, the golden mole and the sidewinder rattlesnake.
1988 C. & T. Stuart Field Guide to Mammals 32With the exception of a few species the golden moles do not push up heaps or mounds like the molerats, but long, meandering ridges just under the surface.
1990 J. Huntly Afr. Wildlife Sketches 88To glimpse an African Golden Mole in the open above ground would be a rare event...My only contact with a Golden Mole was over before it began, for my dog had caught and killed it before I could rescue it.
b. With distinguishing epithet:
Cape golden mole, Chrysochloris asiatica;
giant golden mole, Chrysospalax trevelyani;
Grant’s golden mole, Eremitalpa granti;
Visagie’s golden mole, Chrysochloris visagiei.
1901 W.L. Sclater Mammals of S. Afr. II. 170Chrysochloris aurea, The Cape Golden Mole.
1988 M. Branch Explore Cape Flora 25The small Cape golden mole is common in our gardens...It makes runs just below the surface of the soil and gobbles up its own weight of insects and earthworms every day.
1901 W.L. Sclater Mammals of S. Afr. II. 173Chrysochloris trevelyani, The Giant Golden Mole.
1993 Pringle & McMaster in Afr. Wildlife Vol.47 No.3, 124The rare giant golden mole, Chrysospalax trevelyani, is known only from approximately 100 specimens in the Pirie Forest near King William’s Town.
1987 T.F.J. Van Rensburg Intro. to Fynbos 52As far as small mammals are concerned, there are quite a few endangered and endemic species in the fynbos. The following endangered species occur: Visagie’s golden mole (Calvinia) Grant’s golden desert mole (Lambert’s Bay).
Any of several species of insectivorous mole-like mammals of the family Chrysochloridae, with no visible eyes and no external ears or tails.
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