Mammal · GBIF taxon 2440824
Northwestern Marsupial Mole
Notoryctes caurinusAlso known as Kakarratul, Northern Marsupial Mole
Kakarratul spend almost their entire lives subterranean, swimming through soft desert sand dunes without leaving permanent tunnels behind. Their stout bodies feature massive shovel-like claws on the third and fourth digits, dense silky cream-to-golden fur, and a hardened nasal shield used to ram through soil. Lacking functional eyes or external ears, these enigmatic marsupials rely entirely on tactile and vibrational cues to hunt insects underground.
FossorialSubterraneanDesert
Licensed referenceChermundy / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Ants
- Termites
- Beetle larvae
Predators
- Feral cat
- Red fox
- Dingo
ThreatsPredation by invasive feral cats and foxes, soil compaction, altered fire regimes
HabitatsArid sand dunes, red sandplains, spinifex desert grasslands
Life spanUnknown in the wild; estimated 2–5 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyNotoryctidae
- SpeciesNotoryctes caurinus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Recognizable by silky golden fur, an absence of visible eyes or external ears, and paddle-like front claws.
- Support conservation
- Never handle or collect wild individuals; allow them to burrow back into the sand undisturbed.
Responsible observation
- Look for sand tracks: Search early morning dune ridges for faint winding trails left during rare surface excursions.
- Respect fragile soil: Keep off road vehicles to sand tracks to avoid compacting sensitive subterranean habitat.
- Report sightings: Document any surface encounters with local conservation groups to help track this elusive species.
Frequent Companion (c) Steve Shattuck, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Predator (c) chloe ⋆˚꩜｡, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Emőke Dénes, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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