The DNA behind its distinctive traits. Southern marsupial moles, which are found in Australia’s central deserts, possess a plethora of strange features: they have non-functioning eyes that are ...

Notoryctes typhlops, or southern marsupial mole, is found across the deserts of central and southern Australia. It is also also called itjaritjari by the local Indigenous Aṉangu peoples.

Northern and southern marsupial moles are so rare that a sighting in the wild can make headlines, as people marvel over its lush golden fur and flipper-like front feet.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Still, Clark and some other colleagues recently teamed up with biologists in Australia. They took genetic samples from a single museum specimen, a dead female southern marsupial mole.

In Australia, there's a little critter known as the marsupial mole. It has lush, golden fur. It is blind. It has flipper-like front feet so it can swim through desert sands. And it is not easy to find ...

In Australia, there's a little critter known as the marsupial mole. It has lush, golden fur. It is blind. It has flipper-like front feet so it can swim through desert sands. And it is not easy to ...