Townsend's Mole

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iTownsend's Mole

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Insectivora
Family:	Talpidae
Genus:	Scapanus
Species:	S. townsendii

Binomial name

Scapanus townsendii
(Bachman, 1839)

The Townsend's Mole, Scapanus townsendii, is the largest North American mole.

It is found in open lowland areas and open wooded areas with moist soils along the Pacific coast from southwestern British Columbia to northwestern California. This animal's total range in Canada is estimated to be 20 km².

These animals have velvety black fur, a pointed snout and has a short thick nearly hairless tail. They are about 21 cm in length including a 4 cm long tail and weigh about 138 g. Their front paws are broad and spade-shaped, specialized for digging; the rear paws are smaller. They have 44 teeth. Their ears are not visible and they have small eyes. They are similar in appearance to the smaller Coast Mole.

This mole spends most of its time underground, foraging in shallow burrows for earthworms, small invertebrates and plant material. They are active year round.

These animals are mainly solitary except during mating in late winter. The female has a litter of 2 to 4 young in a deep underground burrow.

This animal was named after the American naturalist John Kirk Townsend, who first described it.

[edit] References

Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). Scapanus townsendii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern