Eastern mole
Species of mammal
title: "Eastern mole" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fauna-of-the-southeastern-united-states", "mammals-described-in-1758", "mammals-of-mexico", "mammals-of-the-united-states", "talpidae", "animal-taxa-named-by-carl-linnaeus"] description: "Species of mammal" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_mole" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Species of mammal ::
| name = Eastern mole | image = ScalopusAquaticus.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Scalopus | parent_authority = É. Geoffroy, 1803 | species = aquaticus | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | range_map = Eastern Mole area.png | range_map_caption = Eastern mole range | synonyms = Sorex aquaticus Linnaeus, 1758
Description
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Eastern_mole_(Scalopus_aquaticus)_skeleton_2.jpg" caption="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.
Subspecies
A majority of the moles throughout their range are Scalopus aquaticus aquaticus. All the other subspecies exist in small pocket ranges. ::data[format=table title="Subspecies of ''Scalopus aquaticus''{{cite web | url=https://www.fws.gov/taxonomic-tree/31626?rank_name=%5B%22Subspecies%22%5D | title=Explore the Taxonomic Tree }}"]
| 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. |
| S. a. bassi | Englewood mole | The area within and surrounding Englewood, Florida. |
| S. a. texanus | Presidia mole | The Rio Grande near and between the Cibolo and Alamito Creeks. |
| :: |
Predation
Occasionally, when eastern moles do exit their burrows, they may be spotted and eaten by red foxes, gray foxes, coyotes, domestic dogs, domestic cats, raccoons, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, broad-winged hawks, eastern screech-owls, barred owls, and barn owls.
References
References
- {{MSW3 Hutterer
- (2016). "''Scalopus aquaticus''".
- Waldron, G.. (2000). "Range, habitat, and population size of the Eastern Mole, Scalopus aquaticus, in Canada.". The Canadian Field-Naturalist.
- "Explore the Taxonomic Tree".
- "Anastasia Island Mole (Scalopus aquaticus anastasae) mEAMOa_CONUS_2001v1 Habitat Map - ScienceBase-Catalog".
- "Mammalogy 39436: Scalopus aquaticus bassi".
- "Presidio Mole (Scalopus aquaticus texanus) mEAMOt_CONUS_2001v1 Habitat Map - ScienceBase-Catalog".
- Scalopus aquaticus (eastern mole). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scalopus_aquaticus/
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::