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What the sources say

Golden MoleEremitalpa granti

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Golden Mole profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 32 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Eremitalpa granti (Grant's golden mole). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page sayswith no visible eyes
The source saysGrant's desert golden moles lack external eyes
The page saysCoastal sand dunes from South Africa's southwestern Cape and Little Namaqualand north into the Namib Desert in Namibia
The source saysinhabiting southwestern Cape Province and Little Namaqualand in South Africa northward to the Namib Desert in Namibia ... They are confined to white coastal sand dunes
The page saysMostly termites, plus crickets, beetles, ants, moths, spiders, mealybugs, web-footed geckos and legless lizards
The source saysTermites, Psammotermes allocercus, constitute the majority of its diet. Other invertebrates it consumes are crickets, beetles, ants, moths, spiders, and mealybugs
The page saysGrant's golden mole doesn't maintain a permanent tunnel, because the sand it burrows through collapses behind it.
The source saysdoes not maintain a permanent tunnel system like most moles because the sand it burrows through collapses behind it.
The page saysMany therefore consider it a sand swimmer, one that digs a new burrow each time it moves.
The source saysTherefore, it is considered by many to be a sand swimmer, constructing new burrows each time it moves.
The page saysa head and body length of 70 to 85 mm and a mass of 16 to 32 g
The source sayshead and body length and mass ranging from 70 to 85 mm and 16 to 32 g, respectively
The page saysmales running larger than females
The source saysmales averaging 73.5 mm and 25.3 g, and females averaging 66.8 mm and 19.8 g ... Sexual Dimorphism male larger
The page saysIt has no external eyes: the eyelids fuse at a young age, and the skin covering the eyes then thickens.
The source saysGrant's desert golden moles lack external eyes, the eyelids fusing at a young age with the skin covering the eyes then increasing in thickness.
The page saysIt forages at night, running across the dune surface and periodically dipping beneath it to locate prey by vibration
The source saysForaging occurs at night on the surface. Grant's desert golden moles' foraging behavior consists of running on the surface of dunes and periodically dipping underneath the surface using its seismic sensitivity to detect the location of prey.
The page sayssome individuals have been known to travel up to 5,800 m while foraging
The source saysSome individuals have been known to travel up to 5800 m while foraging.
The page saysTermites make up more than half of its diet
The source saystermites constitute more than 50% of the mole's diet
The page saystopped up with crickets, beetles, ants, moths, spiders, mealybugs, web-footed geckos and legless lizards
The source saysOther invertebrates it consumes are crickets, beetles, ants, moths, spiders, and mealybugs ... also eats the web-footed gecko, Pelmatogecko rangei, and legless lizards
The page saysstretching from South Africa's southwestern Cape and Little Namaqualand north into the Namib Desert of Namibia
The source saysinhabiting southwestern Cape Province and Little Namaqualand in South Africa northward to the Namib Desert in Namibia
The page saysare one of the driest habitats in the world
The source saysGrant's golden moles dwell in one of the driest and least productive habitats in the world. They are confined to white coastal sand dunes
The page saysBy day it burrows 50 cm down into the sand and enters torpor, lowering its metabolism to reduce its energy demands.
The source saysDuring the day, E. granti burrows to depths of 50 cm and there enters a daily torpor ... E. granti does not regulate its body, but lowers its metabolism, thus reducing its energy demands.
The page saysIts nightly surface foraging often exposes it to predators, including spotted eagle-owls, barn owls, and domestic cats and dogs.
The source saysDue to the nocturnal surface foraging of E. granti, it is often exposed to nocturnal predators ... Known Predators African spotted eagle-owls (Bubo africanus) barn owls (Tyto alba) domestic cats (Felis silvestris) domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
The page saysLoose sand caves in behind it, so unlike most moles it keeps no tunnel system. It digs a new burrow each time it moves.
The source saysdoes not maintain a permanent tunnel system like most moles because the sand it burrows through collapses behind it ... constructing new burrows each time it moves.
The page saysweightKg: 0.024
The source sayswith a head and body length and mass ranging from 70 to 85 mm and 16 to 32 g, respectivelyNote: battleStats (settle #880); midpoint of the range, between the male (25.3 g) and female (19.8 g) averages
The page saystags: subterranean
The source saysGrant’s desert golden moles lack external eyes, the eyelids fusing at a young age with the skin covering the eyes then increasing in thickness. Their noses terminate in a hard leathery pad which aids in diggingNote: tag kept (settle #880): reduced eyes and a digging snout, per the tag definition

Source
02

Maree 2015

Maree (2015). Eremitalpa granti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T7994A21283661.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).
The page saysThe IUCN currently lists the species as Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

Source
03

Narins et al. 1997

Narins et al. (1997). The Use of Seismic Signals by Fossorial Southern African Mammals: A Neuroethological Gold Mine. Brain Research Bulletin.

The page saysFunctionally blind, the mole hunts by vibration.
The source saysis a functionally blind, nocturnal insectivore ... the golden mole is able to detect termite colonies and other prey items solely using seismic cues
The page saysIn the Namib, recordings in the sand suggest it can detect termite colonies and other prey using seismic cues alone.
The source saysThe Namib Desert golden mole (Eremitalpa granti namibensis) ... Both geophone and microphone recordings in the substrate suggest that the golden mole is able to detect termite colonies and other prey items solely using seismic cues.
The page saysIts malleus, one of the tiny bones inside the middle ear, is hypertrophied, an adaptation for picking up low-frequency signals.
The source saysThis animal exhibits a hypertrophied malleus, an adaptation favoring detection of low-frequency signals.

Source
04

Mason & Narins 2002

Mason & Narins (2002). Seismic sensitivity in the desert golden mole (Eremitalpa granti): A review. Journal of Comparative Psychology.

The page saysClumps of dune grass, home to its prey, give off low-frequency vibrations that stand out from background noise many meters away, and the mole apparently uses them to orient itself toward the grass.
The source saysisolated hummocks of dune grass generate low-frequency vibrations, distinct from the background noise at a distance of many meters. The golden mole apparently uses these cues to orient itself toward the hummocks and the prey species within.
The page saysBy vibration. Field studies in the Namib found that clumps of dune grass, where its prey lives, give off low-frequency vibrations, and its massive malleus suggests an ear adapted to pick up seismic cues like these through bone conduction.
The source saysField studies in the Namib desert have shown that isolated hummocks of dune grass generate low-frequency vibrations ... the hummocks and the prey species within. An analysis of middle ear morphology suggests that the massive malleus of the golden mole is adapted toward a form of inertial bone conduction, suitable for the detection of seismic cues obtained in this manner.

Source
05

Mason et al. 2006

Mason et al. (2006). Ossicular density in golden moles (Chrysochloridae). Journal of Comparative Physiology A.

The page saysa middle-ear bone denser than any other land mammal's on record
The source saysThe malleus density of the desert golden mole Eremitalpa granti (2.44 g/cm3) was found to be higher than that reported in the literature for any other terrestrial mammalNote: "denser" for "higher [density]" is the same measurement; "on record" carries "reported in the literature"
The page saysA middle-ear malleus denser than any other land mammal's on record, expected to boost the bone conduction it uses to detect seismic vibrations
The source saysThe malleus density of the desert golden mole Eremitalpa granti (2.44 g/cm3) was found to be higher than that reported in the literature for any other terrestrial mammal ... This high density is expected to augment inertial bone conduction, used for the detection of seismic vibrations
The page saysThe mole's malleus has been measured at 2.44 grams per cubic centimetre, denser than the equivalent bone in any other land mammal on record.
The source saysThe malleus density of the desert golden mole Eremitalpa granti (2.44 g/cm3) was found to be higher than that reported in the literature for any other terrestrial mammal
The page saysThe ear bones of other golden mole species are not unusually dense.
The source sayswhereas the ossicles of other golden mole species are not unusually dense

Source
06

Fielden, Perrin & Hickman 1990

Fielden, Perrin & Hickman (1990). Water metabolism in the Namib Desert Golden Mole, Eremitalpa granti namibensis (Chrysochloridae). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology.

The page saysIn the Namib it can survive on an insect diet without drinking water: efficient kidneys make that possible, and low energy use and torpor cut how much water it needs.
The source saysexamined the ability of Namib Desert moles to survive on an insect diet without drinking water ... Water independence is achieved through efficient renal function while low rates of energy usage and torpor are further effective in reducing overall water requirements.
The page saysEfficient kidneys. Studies of Namib moles credit renal function for their independence from drinking water, with low energy use and torpor trimming their needs further.
The source saysWater independence is achieved through efficient renal function while low rates of energy usage and torpor are further effective in reducing overall water requirements.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.