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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 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]
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.
Weighing just 40-60 grams (1.4-2.1 ounces), “marsupial moles have such modest oxygen requirements that they subsist by breathing the air that flows between sand grains,” Benshemesh wrote.
True moles are found in most parts of North America, Europe (except for Ireland) and Asia. [3] Other mammals referred to as moles include the African golden moles and the Australian marsupial moles, which have a similar ecology and lifestyle to true moles, but are unrelated.
The latter subclass is divided into two infraclasses: pouched mammals (metatherians or marsupials), and placental mammals (eutherians, for which see List of placental mammals). Classification updated from Wilson and Reeder's "Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference" using the "Planet Mammifères" website.
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 ]
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