Eastern mole

Eastern mole[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Talpidae
Genus:
É. Geoffroy, 1803
Species:
S. aquaticus
Binomial name
Scalopus aquaticus
Eastern mole range
Synonyms

Sorex aquaticus Linnaeus, 1758

The eastern mole or common mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only species in the genus Scalopus. It is found in forested and open areas with moist sandy soils in northern Mexico, the eastern United States and the southwestern corner of Ontario in Canada.

Description

Skeleton of an Eastern mole

The eastern mole has grey-brown fur with silver-grey underparts, a pointed nose and a short tail. It is about 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in length including a 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long tail and weighs about 75 grams (2.6 oz). Its front paws are broad and spade-shaped, specialized for digging. It has 36 teeth. Its eyes are covered by fur and its ears are not visible.

Molehill

The eastern mole spends most of its time underground, foraging in shallow burrows. It feeds on earthworms, grubs, beetles, insect larvae, and plant matter. The mole is mainly solitary except during mating in early spring. The female has a litter of two to five young in a deep burrow.

In Canada, the eastern mole is limited to about 2,600 acres in southern Ontario, primarily in Essex and Kent Counties. It prefers soft, sandy, or muddy soils and avoids clay or gravel, making its suitable habitat limited.[3]

Subspecies

A majority of the moles throughout their range are Scalopus aquaticus aquaticus. All the other subspecies exist in small pocket ranges.

Subspecies of Scalopus aquaticus[4]
Subspecies Name Range
S. a. aquaticus Eastern mole Throughout the mainland United States and Canada
S. a. anastasae Anastasia Island mole Anastasia Island, a small close-to-shore island off of St. Augustine, Florida.[5]
S. a. bassi Englewood mole The area within and surrounding Englewood, Florida.[6]
S. a. texanus Presidia mole The Rio Grande near and between the Cibolo and Alamito Creeks.[7]

See also

  • Rockport virus, a virus first discovered in eastern moles

References

  1. ^ Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 301–302. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Matson, J.; Woodman, N.; Castro-Arellano, I.; de Grammont, P.C. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Scalopus aquaticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41471A115188304. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41471A22319923.en. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  3. ^ Waldron, G. "Range, habitat, and population size of the Eastern Mole, Scalopus aquaticus, in Canada".
  4. ^ "Explore the Taxonomic Tree".
  5. ^ "Anastasia Island Mole (Scalopus aquaticus anastasae) mEAMOa_CONUS_2001v1 Habitat Map - ScienceBase-Catalog".
  6. ^ "Mammalogy 39436: Scalopus aquaticus bassi".
  7. ^ "Presidio Mole (Scalopus aquaticus texanus) mEAMOt_CONUS_2001v1 Habitat Map - ScienceBase-Catalog".
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