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Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae / n oʊ t ə ˈ r ɪ k t ɪ d iː / family, are two species of highly specialized marsupial mammals that are found in the Australian interior. [2] They are small burrowing marsupials that anatomically converge on fossorial placental mammals, such as extant golden moles (Chrysochloridae) and extinct epoicotheres ().
The southern marsupial mole (Notoryctes typhlops), also known as the itjaritjari (pronounced [ˈɪɟɐrɪɟɐrɪ]) or itjari-itjari, [3] [4] is a mole-like marsupial found in the western central deserts of Australia. It is extremely adapted to a burrowing way of life. It has large, shovel-like forepaws and silky fur, which helps it move easily.
The northern marsupial mole or kakarratul (Notoryctes caurinus) is a marsupial in the family Notoryctidae, an endemic animal of arid regions of Central Australia. It lives in the loose sand of dunes and river plains in the desert, spending nearly its entire life beneath ground. [ 3 ]
The Australian animals resemble species known as moles, burrow building mammals found in other continents, and were collectively referred to as 'marsupial moles'. The regional names for the well known animals, established before their published descriptions, are used to refer to the species. [citation needed]
As marsupials, these moles are even more distantly related to true talpid moles than golden moles are, both of which belong to the Eutheria, or placental mammals. This means that they are more closely related to such existing Australian marsupials as kangaroos or koalas , and even to a lesser extent to American marsupials, such as opossums ...
Australia is home to two of the five extant species of monotremes and the majority of the world's marsupials (the remainder are from Papua New Guinea, eastern Indonesia and the Americas). The taxonomy is somewhat fluid; this list generally follows Menkhorst and Knight [ 1 ] and Van Dyck and Strahan, [ 2 ] with some input from the global list ...
The genus is allied to the family of modern 'marsupial moles', Notoryctidae, two or three species of the extant genus Notoryctes. [2] However, a more recent study showscases that it lacked many of the synapomorphies associated with marsupial moles, and may belong to a previously unknown lineage of metatherians. [ 3 ]
Marsupial mole → – "Two species are currently recognised, Notoryctes typhlops or Southern Marsupial Mole from central Australia, and Notoryctes caurinus or Northern Marsupial Mole from north western Australia. Given these unimaginative common names for these extraordinary species, Maxwell et al. (1996) proposed the adoption of Aboriginal ...