CNN —A rare, blind mole, about which scientists know relatively little, has been spotted and photographed in Australia, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa – an indigenous organization that deploys rangers – said as it announced the “incredible news.”The northern marsupial mole was spotted in Martu Country, an area in northern Western Australia traditionally owned by the Martu – a group of Australia’s indigenous people. Also know as a Kakarrarturl, the marsupial mole is blind, with poorly developed eyes. Its close relative, the southern marsupial mole, is slightly bigger, at about 18 centimeters (seven inches), and found in central Australia. Joe Benshemesh, a marsupial mole expert and researcher at the National Malleefowl Recovery Group, called them “arguably the world’s most burrow-adapted mammal” in an article published in Australian Geographic, as they have evolved to withstand the harsh temperatures of the desert. The last reported sighting of a marsupial mole was in June near Uluru in central Australia.

---

Persons: Kanyirninpa, –, Joe Benshemesh, Benshemesh Organizations: CNN, Rangers Locations: Australia, Western Australia, Uluru