The rare Australian karrkaratul knows what it’s doing. Sightings of the marsupial mole are few and far between, so when it does come out to be admired it knows it has to look utterly fabulous.
The Tjamu Tjamu Aboriginal Corporation, which works with the Kiwirrkurra people in the Western Desert of Australia, posted some pictures and video of a glossy little showoff that caught the attention of some Kiwirrkurra Rangers recently.
Apparently, the animal is such a rare sight several members of the group took one look at the golden fluffball and got super excited.
“Walimpirri [a member of the group] told us how he’d last seen one many years ago near Kiwirrkurra, and some of the Rangers said they’d never seen one,” the Kiwirrkura IPA Coordinator wrote on Facebook.
Who wouldn’t be excited to see one of these guys? They look like luxury editions of those tribbles from Star Trek. It’s a shame they are mostly blind (hence the whole “living almost totally underground” thing). They can’t even bask in the glow of their hair commercial-level good looks.
Behold the karrkaratul’s glory in action as it burrows back into the desert sands after making its latest appearance:
Since we’re all karrkaratul fans now, here are a few more facts about the shy Australian sweetheart: According to Australian Geographic, the tunneling moles can breathe through grains of sand, and are so elusive that scientists have had trouble classifying their exact behavior or even their appropriate conservation status (marsupial moles are currently classified as endangered).