[3] One particular historical site for the mole has been completely transformed by urbanization, the greater Pretoria West region of Gauteng which consists of grasslands where extensive searches for this species over the last 10 years have not yielded any sign of their presence.

The Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Mpumulanga provincial conservation departments are currently attempting to document and record potential habitat sites that may support rough-haired golden mole populations.

The rough-haired golden mole (Chrysospalax villosus), endemic to South Africa, has a distribution that is characteristically disjunct with records from a number of provinces including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

Detecting the presence of rough-haired golden moles is made all the more difficult by their preference for areas with sandy soils and dense vegetation, normally close to water sources.

In captivity, Roberts (1951) noted that, irrespective of the direction in which they faced, when they were disturbed their reactions were so rapid and the location of the burrow entrance apparently so well known that it was difficult to follow them as they sought refuge within it.

It walks at night to foraging sites that are recognizable by the disturbed soil where these golden moles have rooted for insects with their horny nose pads.

If disturbed when on the surface, rough-haired golden moles quickly retreat back to the safety of the nearest burrow, and they apparently have a remarkable ability to retrace their steps even under the cover of darkness.

The distribution of this golden mole has probably contracted during historical times as a result of habitat alteration associated with mining, power generating plants, as well as urbanization and ecologically unsound agricultural practices in parts of its range.

It must be stressed however that the above-mentioned species are extremely difficult to observe and more intensive surveys are required in order to ascertain their current conservation status in the Gauteng Province.

No evidence of any of the above-mentioned threatened mammals, although suitable habitat occurs for hedgehogs as well as Rough-haired Golden Moles (seasonally inundated grass and sedge zone).