Meadowridge Common is home to a variety of plants and fungi, mammals, birds, insects and other invertebrates, as well as a whole ecosystem underground that we know very little about. This is why our patch of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos is so important as it conserves a piece of un-transformed fynbos which holds the magic ingredients for being able to withstand a changing climate. Meet some of the creatures that live on the Common.
They have lots of very small pointy teeth, typical of mammals that eat insects. Despite similarities in looks, they are not related to the moles of Europe and America. Cape Golden Moles occur only in the southwestern and southern Cape, and thrive in the dry sandy soils of the fynbos.
They measure up to 8 cm in body length, with dense, sleek coats that are iridescent in the light. Males and females are the same size. Unlike most mammals, they have a cloaca, a common opening for both reproductive and urinary systems, and therefore have no external copulatory organs.
Cape Golden Moles are infamous among gardeners for their extensive subsurface runs which they excavate with their specialized forelimbs and conical nose shield (rhinarium) in search of earthworms, insects and other soil invertebrates; relying on their acute hearing to locate them. They also dig deeper permanent burrows for sleeping, defecating and breeding. They are solitary, breeding throughout the year, and giving birth to one to three young. Their main predators are owls, cats and dogs.
These moles prey on insects, many of which are harmful to plants and animals. They also enrich and aerate the soil.