It is hard to guess what a Cape golden mole weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Cape golden mole (Chrysochloris asiatica) on average weights 39 grams (0.09 lbs).
The Cape golden mole is from the family Chrysochloridae (genus: Chrysochloris). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 10.6 cm (0′ 5″). Usually, Cape golden moles have 3 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The Cape golden mole (Chrysochloris asiatica) is a small, insectivorous mammal of the family Chrysochloridae, the golden moles. It is native to certain south western regions of South Africa. The species is a solitary subterranean insectivore, confined to the coastal regions of the south-western and southern Cape. When foraging for soil invertebrates, 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 on to sandy beaches, presumably to feed on amphipods and isopods occurring there.
Animals of the same family as a Cape golden mole
We found other animals of the Chrysochloridae family:
- Juliana’s golden mole with a weight of 22 grams
- Gunning’s golden mole with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- Gunning’s golden mole with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- De Winton’s golden mole with a size of 9 cm (0′ 4″)
- Sclater’s golden mole with a weight of 39 grams
- Juliana’s golden mole with a weight of 21 grams
- Yellow golden mole with a weight of 24 grams
- Grant’s golden mole with a weight of 22 grams
- Van Zyl’s golden mole with a size of 8.4 cm (0′ 4″)
- Arends’s golden mole with a weight of 52 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Cape golden mole
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Chrysochloris asiatica:
- Mexican water mouse bringing 40 grams to the scale
- California red tree mouse bringing 32 grams to the scale
- Cameroon soft-furred mouse bringing 41 grams to the scale
- Indian roundleaf bat bringing 44 grams to the scale
- Mitchell’s hopping mouse bringing 42 grams to the scale
- Wagner’s bonneted bat bringing 36 grams to the scale
- Himalayan water shrew bringing 33 grams to the scale
- Grey red-backed vole bringing 36 grams to the scale
- Greater Egyptian gerbil bringing 42 grams to the scale
- White-throated round-eared bat bringing 32 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Cape golden mole
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Cape golden mole:
- Chinese mole shrew with a size of 9.4 cm (0′ 4″)
- Long-nosed dasyure with a size of 12.1 cm (0′ 5″)
- Woodland jumping mouse with a size of 9 cm (0′ 4″)
- Eastern shrew mouse with a size of 8.9 cm (0′ 4″)
- Silver mountain vole with a size of 10.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Namib brush-tailed gerbil with a size of 10.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Mole-like rice tenrec with a size of 10.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- Nicobar shrew with a size of 10 cm (0′ 4″)
- Prince Demidoff’s bushbaby with a size of 12 cm (0′ 5″)
- Snow Mountains grassland mosaic-tailed rat with a size of 12.7 cm (0′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Cape golden mole
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a Cape golden mole: