Eastern mole
The Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is a small, fossorial mammal belonging to the family Talpidae in the order Eulipotyphla, distinguished by its compact body, velvety fur that lies flat in any direction to facilitate underground movement, and enlarged forelimbs with broad, paddle-like paws adapted for powerful digging.[1] Adults typically measure 144–187 mm in body length, with a 18–33 mm tail and hindfeet of 22–27 mm, weighing between 65–140 g; their fur ranges from silver-gray to brown or black, and they possess a pointed snout, minute eyes, and no external ears, reflecting their adaptation to a subterranean lifestyle with limited reliance on vision.[1] Native to central and eastern North America, the Eastern mole's range spans from eastern Texas and Massachusetts southward to Florida, with populations also occurring in southern Ontario, Canada (restricted to about 1,000 hectares near Point Pelee National Park), and parts of northeastern Mexico, though it is absent from areas like western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.[1][2] It inhabits a variety of environments including forests, meadows, pastures, open woodlands, agricultural fields, lawns, and gardens, favoring moist but not waterlogged soils such as sandy loam that are easy to excavate, and it can thrive in about 1 acre of suitable habitat supporting 3–5 individuals.[1][3][4] As solitary burrowers active day and night, Eastern moles construct extensive underground tunnel networks—shallow surface runs at 2–3 cm depth for foraging and deeper chambers at 10–40 cm for nesting and storage—highly active in digging and feeding.[1][5] Their diet consists mainly of invertebrates like earthworms, ants, beetle larvae, and centipedes, supplemented occasionally by plant matter such as potatoes or corn, making them beneficial for soil aeration but sometimes viewed as pests in manicured landscapes.[1] Reproduction occurs polygynously from late March to April, with a 40–45 day gestation yielding litters of 2–5 young in May; juveniles reach maturity at about 1 year, though wild lifespan averages 2–6 years with high early mortality (50% in the first 6 months).[1] Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its wide distribution, the species faces localized threats from habitat loss in southern regions and is listed as of Special Concern in Canada under SARA.[1][2]Taxonomy
Classification
The Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is classified within the domain Eukaryota, kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Eulipotyphla, family Talpidae, subfamily Scalopinae, genus Scalopus, and species S. aquaticus.[6][7] The family Talpidae encompasses moles and mole-like insectivores, with Scalopinae representing the New World fossorial moles adapted for burrowing in North American soils.[7][8] The genus Scalopus is monotypic, containing only the Eastern mole as its sole species, which underscores its unique phylogenetic position among North American talpids.[2][7] Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 under the binomial Sorex aquaticus (within the shrew genus Sorex), reflecting early misconceptions of its aquatic habits based on limited specimens, it was later reclassified into Scalopus by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1803 to better reflect its mole-like morphology.[7][9] Evolutionarily, the Eastern mole's lineage traces back to the Miocene epoch, approximately 23 to 5.3 million years ago, when scalopine moles diverged within Talpidae, originating in North America before some lineages dispersed to Eurasia.[10] Fossil records indicate early Miocene appearances of scalopine ancestors, with the genus Scalopus exhibiting a mid-Miocene diversification event.[11] It shares a common ancestry with other North American moles, such as the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata), within a clade of advanced fossorial talpids that emerged during this period, adapting to subterranean lifestyles amid shifting paleoenvironments.[11][12]Subspecies
The Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is divided into multiple subspecies, primarily distinguished by geographic isolation and subtle morphological variations, with four particularly notable ones recognized based on historical taxonomic revisions. These include S. a. aquaticus, the nominate subspecies widespread across much of the species' range; S. a. anastasae, restricted to Anastasia Island in Florida; S. a. bassi, found in the Englewood area of Florida; and S. a. texanus, occurring in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.[2]| Subspecies | Distribution | Key Morphological Traits |
|---|---|---|
| S. a. aquaticus | Widespread in eastern United States and Canada, from Massachusetts to North Carolina and beyond | Darkest pelage among subspecies (gray-black); larger body size (total length ~182 mm in males); robust skull with greatest length ~35 mm. |
| S. a. anastasae | Anastasia Island, Florida | Golden sepia pelage with bright zinc orange on face, chin, and wrists; large forefeet with long, heavy nails adapted for sandy soils; short, massive skull with heavy mastoids and short rostrum (total length >153 mm in males). |
| S. a. bassi | Englewood area, Sarasota County, Florida | Similar to S. a. anastasae in coastal adaptation but with paler dorsal pelage; slightly smaller overall size; forefeet specialized for loose, sandy substrates.[13] |
| S. a. texanus | Rio Grande Valley, including Presidio and Rockport areas, Texas | Smallest subspecies (total length <160 mm); paler, brownish-bronze pelage; short, flat skull (<33 mm greatest length) with swollen supraorbital region and large teeth.[7] |