The northern broad-footed mole (''Scapanus latimanus'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of mammal in the family

Talpidae The family Talpidae () includes the moles (some of whom are called shrew moles and desmans) who are small insectivorous mammals of the order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, where it is found in northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

at elevations up to 3000 m above sea level.

Taxonomy

Formerly, this species was thought to have a wider range reaching down to northernmost

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, with a disjunct population further south in Sierra de San Pedro Martir. However, taxonomic and morphological studies indicate that the subspecies in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

and northernmost Baja California is a distinct species, the southern broad-footed mole (''S. occultus'') and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir subspecies is also a distinct species, the Mexican mole (''S. anthonyi''). Due to this, the range of ''S. latimanus'' is thought to be restricted to the United States. Up to 12 subspecies of ''S. latimanus'' have been recognized, but ''S. anthonyi'' and ''S. occultus'' have been split as distinct species. Analysis of the remaining subspecies have found that most of them represent

junior synonyms The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

of other subspecies; under this classification, only 4 subspecies of ''S. latimanus'' remain: ''S. l. latimanus'', ''S. l. minisculus'', ''S. l. insularis'', and ''S. l. parvus''.

Description

The broad-footed mole can be distinguished from other species of ''

Scapanus ''Scapanus'' is a genus of mole (animal), moles in the family Talpidae. They live in North America from west of the Rocky Mountains, Rockies south to Baja California, Baja California del Norte, and north to British Columbia, wherever conditions ...

'' by its dark brown to silvery fur, and 40-44 unevenly spaced unicuspid teeth. Adults range from 14 to 18 cm in total length on average, with males slightly larger than females. Populations in more humid environments also tend to have larger individuals than those from southern, drier areas. The dental formula of ''Scapanus latimanus'' is . Its karyotype has 2n = 34, FN = 64. As with most

moles Moles can refer to: * Moles de Xert, a mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain * The Moles (Australian band) *The Moles, alter ego of Scottish band Simon Dupree and the Big Sound People *Abraham Moles, French engin ...

, it requires moist, friable soils, where it eats earthworms, insects, other invertebrates and some plant matter. ''Scapanus latimanus'' is a fossorial mammal, living below ground for most of its life. Only one animal occupies a burrow at a time and if a burrow has been vacated, it is often reoccupied within 2 days. Tunnels are typically dug far below surface level and the excess earth is removed via shafts that run laterally and vertically up to the surface. The excess earth pushed out of these shafts form distinct volcano-shaped mounds with the older earth towards the outer base and the newer earth towards the core. Shallow surface tunnels are sometimes dug and form a ridge in the soil on the surface. How often exactly these tunnels are used is unknown, as they are used irregularly.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q960227 Scapanus Mammals of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Mammals described in 1842 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by John Bachman