Chrysochloris asiatica
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Cape golden mole (Chrysochloris asiatica) is a small, insectivorous mammal of the family Chrysochloridae, the golden moles. The species is a solitary subterranean insectivore, confined to the coastal regions of the southwestern and southern Cape in South Africa. When foraging for small, soil invertebrates and small lizards, these golden moles excavate superficial burrows using their conical nose shield and highly modified forefeet. Females are smaller than males. Golden moles have very dense, soft, and silky coats. The coats are colored blackish to slaty-grey and brown to pale fawn. They have also been observed to venture onto sandy beaches, presumably to feed on amphipods and isopods occurring there.
Manyeleti Private Game Reserve - description of golden moles Archived 2025-02-23 at the Wayback Machine Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in Garden Route National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Golden Mole sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 35 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and July–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Golden Mole in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and September–March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Golden Mole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Cape Golden Mole sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Golden Mole is recorded against all the mammals logged in Garden Route National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
