Scientists identify two new species of mole in the mountains of eastern Turkey that can live in temperatures of 50°C and survive being buried under six feet of snow

Scientists have identified two types of moles that they believe lived undiscovered in the mountains of eastern Turkey.

The new mole, named Talpa hakkariensis and Talpa davidiana tatvanensis, belong to a well-known group of subterranean invertebrate mammals found throughout Europe and western Asia.

Although only one species, Talpa europaea, occurs in Britain, there are a number of different moles further east, many of which have a very small geographic range.

Using advanced DNA technology, the researchers confirmed that the new animals are biologically different from other moles.

Both live in mountainous regions of eastern Turkey and can survive in summer temperatures of up to 50°C and in winter they are buried under two meters of snow.

The study was conducted by researchers from Ondokuz Mayis University in Turkey, Indiana University in the US and the University of Plymouth. Senior author Professor David Bilton, from the University of Plymouth, was previously responsible for identifying nearly 80 new animal species.

The study was conducted by researchers from Turkey’s Ondokuz Mayis University, Indiana University in the US and the University of Plymouth (photo: The mountains of the Hakkari region of southeastern Turkey).

“It’s very rare these days to find new species of mammals,” he said. “Only about 6,500 species of mammals have been identified around the world, and by comparison, about 400,000 species of beetles are known, with an estimated one to two million on Earth.

‘On the surface, the new moles we identified in this study resemble other species, as life underground places severe constraints on the evolution of body size and shape – there are really only a limited number of options available for moles.

“Our study shows how we can underestimate the true nature of biodiversity in such circumstances, even in groups such as mammals, where most people would assume we know all the species we share the planet with.”

The discoveries mean that the number of known Eurasian moles has increased from 16 to 18, and each has its own distinct genetic and physical characteristics.

To identify their latest finds, the researchers studied the size and shape of various body structures, using advanced mathematical analysis, which also allowed them to include specimens collected in the 19th century that are still available in museum collections.

A complementary analysis of the moles’ DNA and a detailed comparison with known species then confirmed their distinctiveness. As a result, Talpa hakkariensis – found in the Hakkari region of southeastern Turkey – was identified as a new species of mole, highly distinctive in terms of both its morphology and DNA.

Talpa davidiana tatvanensis – found near Bitlis, also in southeastern Turkey – was also identified as morphologically distinct, but is classified as a subspecies of Talpa davidiana. Talpa davidiana was first identified in 1884.

The study, Notes from the Anatolian underground: Two new mole taxa from Eastern Turkey, together with a revised phylogeny of the genus Talpa, is published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society