Scalopus aquaticus
| Eastern Mole
(Scalopus aquaticus) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Suborder: | Erinaceota |
| Superfamily: | Talpoidea |
| Family: | Talpidae |
| Subfamily: | Talpinae |
| Tribe: | Scalopini |
| Genus: | Scalopus |
| Binomial details | |
| Scalopus aquaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) has a robust body, short tail, elongated snout, and very large forefeet modified for digging. It can be found in almost any forested or open habitat, preferring well-drained loose sandy or loamy soils.
Description
From Yates & Schmidly (1978): "Since the genus is monotypic, the following diagnosis applies to both genus and species: body robust and depressed; tail short, round, and scantily haired, although appearing essentially naked; tail less than a fourth of total length; nose elongated into distinct snout; apical portion naked to line of anterior edge of nasals; nostrils superior, crescentic, with concavities turned in laterally; eyes small, with no external opening, of little use except possibly to detect light (Slonaker, 1902). External ears are lacking; ear openings are tiny holes buried in fur. Feet are large, fleshy, scantily haired above and naked below; forefeet modified for digging, palms wider than long; toes on both front and hind feet webbed. Fur is dense, soft, silky, velvetlike; color variable, from nearly black to silver. There are six mammae."
From Best & Hunt (2020): "Eastern moles have large paddle-like front feet, an elongated snout, soft and velvety fur, a short tail, webbed toes on all feet, and no obvious eyes or ears. Color is silverish to almost black. They have neither star-shaped, tentacle-like nasal rays surrounding the nostrils nor a tail covered with coarse hairs."
Museum specimens
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Holotype: USNM 169717. Scalopus aquaticus machrinoides. Adult male. Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas. Collected 1 June 1910. -
Holotype: USNM 169717. Scalopus aquaticus machrinoides. Adult male. Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas. Collected 1 June 1910. -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912.
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Best & Dusi (2014) | 132 (115–158) (n=22) | 20 (11–28) (n=22) | 18 (14–26) (n=22) | 49.8 (26.2–59.5) (n=15) | |
| Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland | Webster et al. (1985) | 144–187 | 18–33 | |||
| Colorado | Armstrong et al. (2010) | 133–190 | 19–36 | 17–24 | 65–100 | |
| Great Lakes Region | Kurta (2017) | 150–200 | 20–38 | 22–27 | 65–140 | |
| Minnesota | Hazard (1982) | 155–185 | 21–30 | 19–25 | 75–120 | |
| Texas | Schmidly & Bradley (2016) | 165 | 29 | 22 | 60–90 | |
| Virginia | Linzey (1998) | 135–200 | 22–40 | up to 140 |
Skull
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Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
Scalopus aquaticus may co-occur with the Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) and the Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri). It is not easily confused with the Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata), which has a distinct and unique fringe of pink nasal rays (sometimes referred to as tentacles) encircling the tip of the snout. It can be distinguished from Parascalops breweri by its tail. The tail of Scalopus aquaticus is scantily haired and appears naked. The tail of Parascalops breweri is densely covered with long coarse hairs. The skulls of Parascalops breweri and Scalopus aquaticus can easily be differentiated based on the size, shape, and spacing of the teeth. The skull of Condylura cristata is easily recognized by the size, shape, spacing of the unicupsids, and tricuspidate edges of the upper molars.
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Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri) observed in Ontario, Canada, by Steve Marks. Notice that the tail is densely covered with long coarse hairs. -
Lateral view of the Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) -
Holotype: USNM 177931. Scalopus aquaticus howelli. Adult male. Autaugaville, Autauga County, Alabama. Collected 4 January 1912. -
Lateral view of the skull of Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) -
Lateral view of the skull of a Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata).
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Distribution of the Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus). -
Distribution of the Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri). -
Distribution of the Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata).
References
Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.
Best TL, Dusi JL. 2014. Mammals of Alabama (Vol. 4). Tuscaloosa (AL, USA): University Alabama Press.
Best TL, Hunt JL. 2020. Mammals of the southeastern United States. Tuscaloosa (AL, USA): University Alabama Press.
Hazard EB. 1982. The mammals of Minnesota. Minneapolis (MN, USA): University of Minnesota Press.
Kurta A. 2017. Mammals of the Great Lakes region. Ann Arbor (MI, USA): University of Michigan Press.
Linnaeus C von. 1758. Systema Naturae. Regnum Animale. 10th Ed. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm, Sweden 1, 53.
Linzey DW. 1998. The mammals of Virginia. McDonald & Woodward Publishing.
Naughton D. 2012. The natural history of Canadian mammals. Toronto (ON, CA): University of Toronto Press.
Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.
Slonaker JR. 1902. The eye of the common mole, Scalopus aquaticus machrinus. Journal of Comparative Neurology 12:33.
Yates TL, Schmidly DJ. 1978. Scalopus aquaticus. Mammalian Species (105): 1-4.
Webster WD, Parnell JF, Biggs WC. 1985. Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill (NC, USA): University of North Carolina Press.