Zulu Golden Mole

Open encyclopedia reference

The Hottentot golden mole (Amblysomus hottentotus) is a species of mammal in the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae. It is found in South Africa, Eswatini, and possibly Lesotho. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry and moist lowland forest and dry shrubland and grassland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, savanna, temperate grassland, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas.

It has several subspecies, including the Zulu golden mole (Amblysomus hottentotus iris).

In 2013 it was discovered that Hottentot golden moles prefer mates with larger penises.

Wikipedia contributors, Hottentot golden mole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:06:50.545061+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Amblysomus hottentotus (A. Smith, 1829)

Name authority

(A. Smith, 1829)

Common name

Zulu Golden Mole

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Afrosoricida

Family

Chrysochloridae

Genus

Amblysomus

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderAfrosoricida Stanhope, 1998
12. suborderChrysochloridea Broom, 1915
13. familyChrysochloridae Gray, 1825
14. subfamilyAmblysominae Simonetta, 1957
15. genusAmblysomus Pomel, 1848
16. speciesAmblysomus hottentotus (A. Smith, 1829)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Amblysomus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 13 records assigned to Chrysochloridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=633517 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:CNZS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.