Scientists discover 'very rare' mole living in mountains of Turkey for three million years

Two new moles have been identified by scientists which were suspected of living undiscovered for three million years in the mountains of eastern Turkey.

The species, named Talpa hakkariensis and Talpa davidiana tatvanensis, are part of a familiar group of subterranean, invertebrate-eating mammals which are generally found in Western Asia and Europe.

Scientists claimed that the new moles are likely to survive under 6 feet of snow in winter and temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in summer while emphasising that the discovery is exciting as it is rare to discover new species of mammal.

'Very rare discover of new species'

The study, which was published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society in July, was carried out by researchers from England’s University of Plymouth, Ondokuz Mayis University in Turkey and Indiana University.

Senior author and professor of aquatic biology at the University of Plymouth David Bilton said, “It is very rare to find new species of mammals today.”

“There are only around 6,500 mammal species that have been identified across the world and, by comparison, there are around 400,000 species of beetles known, with an estimated 1 to 2 million on Earth,” he added.

“Superficially, the new moles we have identified in this study appear similar to other species, since living underground imposes serious constraints on the evolution of body size and shape — there are a limited number of options available for moles, really,” Bilton stated.

The researchers, after discovering the moles, used “cutting-edge DNA technology” for comparing their DNA to the ones of other moles and discovered that the Turkish creatures are biologically distinct.

The authors of the study said that the new moles are “subterranean, invertebrate-eating mammals,” found across Western Asia and Europe. They stated that the research emphasised how extensively one can misunderstand the diversity of mammals.

“Our study highlights how, in such circumstances, we can underestimate the true nature of biodiversity,” said Bilton and added, “even in groups like mammals, where most people would assume we know all the species with which we share the planet.”

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The new find increases the number of already known Eurasian moles from 16 to 18, and each of the species has its distinct physical characteristics and genetics.

The researchers, for identifying the latest finds, studied the shape and size of various bodily structures through advanced mathematical analyses, which also permitted them to include museum specimens which the scientists had collected in the 19th century.

Their distinctiveness was confirmed by a complementary analysis of the DNA of the moles and a detailed comparison with known species.

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