The Marsupial Mole

This strangest of moles, found in Southern Australian desert, can tunnel as deep as 2.5m (8ft).  Unlike the more common ‘tunnelling’ moles, the Marsupial Mole ‘swims’ through soft sand, which collapses in on itself behind the mole, thus leaving no permanent tunnel.  It feeds on fungi and plant tubers as well as insect grubs, worms and even small lizards as it forages on the surface after rain.  Like other marsupials, the Marsupial Mole carries it’s young, usually one or two, in a pouch.  This creature’s pouch however, cleverly opens rearward so that it does not fill with sand.

The Pangolin

Pangolins are covered in overlapping keratin scales which act as body armour, indeed an unusual gift of a coat of armour made from Pangolin scales was once presented to King George III.  The Pangolin uses its scales as protection when it roles into a ball to sleep.  They have no teeth, and similar to anteaters, use a long tongue to collect ants and termites.  They can do this on the ground, but also in trees due to their long claws and strong prehensile tails.  Their stomachs do the work of ‘chewing’ with powerful muscles.  A variety of Pangolins can be found in Africa and Southern Asia.

The Aye-aye

This odd little fellow can appear strangely haggered, old and creepy with its shaggy black fur and white guard hairs.  Found in the North of Madagascar, the nocturnal Aye-aye was believed to be extinct until rediscovered in the late 1950’s.  A member of the prosimian family of primates, it has been likened to a mammalian woodpecker because of its feeding habits.  The Aye-aye taps trees, listening for grubs under the bark, then gnaws the bark out with rodent-like teeth, and prizes the grubs out with its unusually elongated middle fingers.

The Capybara

Although common to much of the North and East of South America, this is a rodent often unheard of elsewhere.  It is the heaviest rodent, weighing in at between 35 and 65 kilograms (77-145lbs) with a length of just over 1m (4ft).  The largest known example weighed an astonishing 230lbs.  These hefty animals are at home in rivers, lakes and swamps, often forming large herds dominated by one male who will mate with all the females in the group.  They enjoy water plants and buds and have been known as pests in some areas, raiding farm crops.  Capybara’s have many predators, including humans, who value their meat and their hide.

The Platypus

Although often called the Duck-billed Platypus, suggesting that there are more than one type, the correct name is the Platypus, as there is actually only one known species.  Such an odd looking creature, it is no wonder that when the first sketches, descriptions and specimens began arriving in Britain from Eastern Australia in 1798 and 1799, they were initially thought to be hoaxes, indeed some thought it a joke played by an Asian taxidermist.  The Platypus has a body and tail similar to that of a small beaver, with a coat like a mole, fully webbed front feet, and an unusual flat, sensitive bill which it uses to probe lake and river beds to locate crustaceans or insect larvae.  The female lays leathery eggs.  The young hatch at around 10 days and are suckled for up to 4 months in a long bankside burrow sometimes reaching 60ft or more in length.