biology

Marley's golden mole

Marley's golden mole is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marley's golden mole rather than just read about it. In short: Marley's golden mole (Amblysomus marleyi) is a species of burrowing mammal in the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae. It is found in South Africa and possibly Eswatini.

Key takeaways

Marley's golden mole belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marley's golden mole to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marley's golden mole from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Marley's golden mole (Amblysomus marleyi) is a species of burrowing mammal in the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae. It is found in South Africa and possibly Eswatini. It has been separated from Amblysomus hottentotus by Bronner (1995b, 1996, 2000). Its natural habitat is indigenous forests and moist grassland, and also gardens. It is classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The main threats it faces are habitat degradation, either through overgrazing by cattle or the removal of vegetation for firewood, and urbanization.

Characteristics Marley's golden mole has a compact, streamlined body, a wedge-shaped head, pointed muzzle and sleek, moisture repellent fur. The upper parts are a dark reddish-brown and the underparts range from dull brown to orange-brown. It has muscular shoulders with short powerful forelimbs and strong digging claws. The third claw is enlarged and there is no fifth digit and only a vestigial first and fourth digit. The hind limbs retain all five toes which are webbed to allow for efficient backward shoveling of soil that has been loosened by the forelimbs. It has no external ears or tail and the vestigial eyes are covered by hairy skin. The weight is 30–34 g (1.1–1.2 oz).

Biology When burrowing and foraging near the surface, this mole creates raised ridges of soil that are visible above ground. There is also a system of deeper tunnels with chambers which are used for resting and for the rearing of young. The diet is not known precisely but earthworms, insect larvae and other invertebrates are likely to predominate. Golden moles have a low metabolic rate and are able to enter into a state of torpor in response to cold temperatures. This enables them to survive in areas where temperatures can be low and food scarce.

Range and habitat This species is known from only two isolated localities on the eastern slopes of the Lebombo Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It may be more widespread than this as remains of the species have been identified in owl pellets 250 km (160 mi) to the southwest of its known range. It is mainly found in indigenous forests and moist grassland but also sometimes in gardens. The main threats it faces are from habitat degradation.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marley's golden mole

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marley's golden mole claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marley's golden mole before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marley's golden mole ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marley's golden mole

In research: Marley's golden mole appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marley's golden mole in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marley's golden mole is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Afrosoricida, Endemic fauna of South Africa, IUCN Red List endangered species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marley's golden mole outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Marley's golden mole in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marley's golden mole means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marley's golden mole out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marley's golden mole in simple terms?

Marley's golden mole (Amblysomus marleyi) is a species of burrowing mammal in the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae. It is found in South Africa and possibly Eswatini.

Why does Marley's golden mole matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marley's golden mole?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marley's golden mole.