Scientists have identified two types of mole which they believe have been living undiscovered in the mountains of eastern Turkey for as many as 3 million years.
The new moles - named Talpa hakkariensis and Talpa davidiana tatvanensis - belong to a familiar group of subterranean, invertebrate-eating mammals found across Europe and Western Asia.
While only one species, Talpa europaea, is found in Britain, further east there are a number of different moles, many of which have very small geographical ranges.
The researchers - using cutting edge DNA technology - have confirmed the new forms are biologically distinct from others in the group.
Both inhabit mountainous regions in eastern Turkey, and are able to survive in temperatures of up to 50°C in summer and being buried under two metres of snow in winter.
The study, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, was conducted by researchers from Ondokuz Mayıs University (Turkey), Indiana University (USA), and the University of Plymouth (UK).
Senior author Professor David Bilton, Professor of Aquatic Biology at the University of Plymouth, has previously been responsible for identifying almost 80 new species of animals, particularly insects, and said the new discoveries were notable for a number of reasons.
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