The
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Talpidae
() includes the
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 engineer ...
(some of whom are called
shrew mole
A shrew mole or shrew-mole is a mole that resembles a shrew. Species with this name include:
* Five species in the subfamily Uropsilinae, or "shrew-like moles", native to China:
** Equivalent teeth shrew mole (''Uropsilus aequodonenia'')
** Ander ...
s and
desman
The desman, a snouted and naked-tailed diving insectivore of the tribe Desmanini (also considered a subfamily, Desmaninae), belongs to one of two Eurasian species of the mole family, Talpidae.
This tribe consists of two monotypic genera of semi ...
s) who are small
insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
mammals of the
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
Eulipotyphla
Eulipotyphla (, which means "truly fat and blind") is an order of mammals suggested by molecular methods of phylogenetic reconstruction, which includes the laurasiatherian members of the now-invalid polyphyletic order Lipotyphla, but not the afr ...
. Talpids are all
digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean animals; shrew moles and
shrew-like moles
The shrew moles or shrew-like moles (''Uropsilus'') are shrew-like members of the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ...
somewhat less so; and desmans, while basically aquatic, excavate dry sleeping chambers; whilst the quite unique
star-nosed mole
The star-nosed mole (''Condylura cristata'') is a small semiaquatic mole (animal), mole found in moist, low areas in the northern parts of North America. It is the only Extant taxon, extant member of the tribe Condylurini and genus ''Condylura ...
is equally adept in the water and underground. Talpids are found across the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
of
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...
and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
(although none are found in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
nor in the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
south of northern
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 ...
), and range as far south as the
montane
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
regions of tropical
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
.
The first talpids evolved from
shrew
Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different fa ...
-like animals which adapted to digging late in the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
in Europe. ''
Eotalpa anglica'' is the oldest known mole, it was discovered in the Late Eocene deposits of
Hampshire Basin
The Hampshire Basin is a geological basin of Palaeogene age in southern England, underlying parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and Sussex. Like the London Basin to the northeast, it is filled with sands and clays of Paleocene and yo ...
,
UK. The most primitive living talpids are believed to be the
shrew-like moles
The shrew moles or shrew-like moles (''Uropsilus'') are shrew-like members of the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ...
, with other species having adapted further into the subterranean, and, in some cases, aquatic lifestyles.
Characteristics
Talpids are small, dark-furred animals with cylindrical bodies and hairless, tubular snouts. They range in size from the tiny
shrew mole
A shrew mole or shrew-mole is a mole that resembles a shrew. Species with this name include:
* Five species in the subfamily Uropsilinae, or "shrew-like moles", native to China:
** Equivalent teeth shrew mole (''Uropsilus aequodonenia'')
** Ander ...
s of North America, as small as 10 cm in length and weighing under 12 grams, to the
Russian desman
The Russian desman (''Desmana moschata'') (russian: выхухоль ''vykhukhol'') is a small semiaquatic mammal that inhabits the Volga, Don and Ural River basins in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It constructs burrows into the banks of ponds ...
, with a body length of 18–22 cm, and a weight of about 550 grams. The
fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
varies between species, but is always dense and short; desmans have waterproof undercoats and oily
guard hair
Guard hair or overhair is the outer layer of hair of most mammals, which overlay the fur. Guard hairs are long and coarse and protect the rest of the pelage (fur) from abrasion and frequently from moisture. They are visible on the surface of the fu ...
s, while the subterranean moles have short, velvety fur lacking any guard hairs. The forelimbs of moles are highly adapted for digging, with powerful claws, and the paws turned permanently outwards to aid in shovelling dirt away from the front of the body. By contrast, desmans have webbed paws with a fringe of stiff fur to aid in swimming. Moles generally have short tails, but those of desmans are elongated and flattened.
All species have small eyes and poor eyesight, but only a few are truly blind.
[ The external ears are very small or absent.][Grzimek, Bernhard. ''Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mammals I.'' New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1975. Print.] Talpids rely primarily on their sense of touch
In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...
, having sensory vibrissa
Vibrissae (; singular: vibrissa; ), more generally called Whiskers, are a type of stiff, functional hair used by mammals to sense their environment. These hairs are finely specialised for this purpose, whereas other types of hair are coarser ...
e on their faces, legs, and tails. Their flexible snouts are particularly sensitive. Desmans are able to close both their nostrils and ears while diving. Unusually, the penis
A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do n ...
of talpids points backwards, and they have no scrotum
The scrotum or scrotal sac is an anatomical male reproductive structure located at the base of the penis that consists of a suspended dual-chambered sac of skin and smooth muscle. It is present in most terrestrial male mammals. The scrotum cont ...
.[
Females have six or eight ]teat
A teat is the projection from the mammary glands of mammals from which milk flows or is ejected for the purpose of feeding young. In many mammals the teat projects from the udder. The number of teats varies by mammalian species and often corre ...
s. Both sexes have claws on all five fingers and on all five toes. The paw has an additional bone called the os falciforme. In burrowing moles, the clavicle
The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the rig ...
and the humeral head
The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a round ...
are connected. The tibia
The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
and the fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
are partially fused in all talpids. The pubis does not connect the two halves of the pelvic girdle
The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton).
The p ...
. The skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
is long, narrow, and rather flattened.
Talpids are generally insectivorous. Moles eat earthworm
An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...
s, insect larvae, and occasionally slugs, while desmans eat aquatic invertebrates such as shrimps, insect larvae, and snail
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...
s. Talpids have relatively unspecialized teeth, with the dental formula
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...
:
Behavior
Desmans and shrew moles are primarily nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
, but moles are active day and night, usually travelling above ground only under cover of darkness. Most moles dig permanent burrow
An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...
s, and subsist largely on prey that falls into them. The shrew moles dig burrows to access deep sleeping chambers, but forage for food on the forest floor by night. Desmans dig burrows in riverbanks for shelter and forage in the water of rivers and lakes. The star-nosed mole is able to make a living much as other moles do, but are also very capable aquatic creatures, where they are able to smell underwater by using their unique proboscis to hold out a bubble of air into the water.
Talpids appear to be generally quite antisocial animals, and although at least one species, the star-nosed mole, will share burrows, talpids are known to engage in much territorial behavior, including extraordinarily fast battles.[
]
Classification
The family is divided into three subfamilies, 19 genera and 59 species.
*Family Talpidae
**Subfamily Uropsilinae
The shrew moles or shrew-like moles (''Uropsilus'') are shrew-like members of Talpidae, the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, ...
- Asian shrew-like moles (Chinese shrew moles)
*** Genus ''Uropsilus
The shrew moles or shrew-like moles (''Uropsilus'') are shrew-like members of Talpidae, the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, ...
'' - eight species in China, Bhutan, and Myanmar
**** Equivalent-teeth shrew mole, ''U. aequodonenia''
****Anderson's shrew mole
The Anderson's shrew mole (''Uropsilus andersoni'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China. Its species name "''andersoni''" was chosen to honor American scientific collector Malcolm Playfair Anderson
Malcolm Pl ...
, ''U. andersoni''
**** Black-backed shrew mole
The black-backed shrew mole (''Uropsilus atronates'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, where it is only known from the vicinity of Mucheng in Yunnan Province.
It was formerly considered synonymous with the ...
, ''U. atronates''
****Dabie Mountains shrew mole
The Dabie Mountains shrew mole (''Uropsilus dabieshanensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Anhui Province in China, where, as its name suggests, it is only known from the Dabie Mountains.
Phylogenetic evidence ...
, ''U. dabieshanensis''
****Gracile shrew mole
The gracile shrew mole (''Uropsilus gracilis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China; populations known from Myanmar likely represent other species (see below).
The black-backed shrew mole (''U. atronates'') an ...
, ''U. gracilis''
****Inquisitive shrew mole
The inquisitive shrew mole (''Uropsilus investigator'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is only known from Yunnan province of China, although its range is thought to extend over the border into Myanmar.
A 2018 phylogenetic st ...
, ''U. investigator''
**** Snow Mountain shrew mole
The Snow Mountain shrew mole (''Uropsilus nivatus'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is native to Yunnan Province in China and potentially Myanmar. Its common name references Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is the type localit ...
, ''U. nivatus''
****Chinese shrew mole
The Chinese shrew mole (''Uropsilus soricipes'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, Sichuan Province
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; ...
, ''U. soricipes''
**Subfamily Scalopinae
The Scalopinae, or New World moles, are one of three subfamilies of the family Talpidae, which consists of moles and mole-like animals; the other two subfamilies being the Old World talpids (the Talpinae) and the Chinese shrew-like moles (Uropsil ...
- New World moles
*** Tribe Condylurini
''Condylura'' is a genus of moles that contains a single extant species, the star-nosed mole ''(Condylura cristata)'' endemic to the northern parts of North America. It is also the only living member of the tribe Condylurini.
While today endemic ...
- condylurine moles
**** Genus ''Condylura
''Condylura'' is a genus of moles that contains a single extant species, the star-nosed mole ''(Condylura cristata)'' endemic to the northern parts of North America. It is also the only living member of the tribe Condylurini.
While today endemic ...
'' - one species in eastern North America
*****Star-nosed mole
The star-nosed mole (''Condylura cristata'') is a small semiaquatic mole (animal), mole found in moist, low areas in the northern parts of North America. It is the only Extant taxon, extant member of the tribe Condylurini and genus ''Condylura ...
, ''C. cristata''
*** Tribe Scalopini
The Scalopini are a tribe of moles belonging to the family Talpidae. They include all the New World moles apart from the strikingly distinctive star-nosed mole. As the similarity of the names implies, they are the standard form of the Scalopinae ...
- scalopine moles
**** Genus '' Alpiscaptulus'' - one species in China
*****Medog mole
The Medog mole (''Alpiscaptulus medogensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Alpiscaptulus''. It is endemic to Tibet, where it is only found in the vicinity of Namcha Barwa in Medog County.
...
, ''A. medogensis''
****Genus ''Parascalops
The hairy-tailed mole (''Parascalops breweri''), also known as Brewer's mole, is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only member of the genus ''Parascalops''. The species epithet ''breweri'' refers to Thomas Mayo Brewer, an American n ...
'' - one species in northeastern North America
*****Hairy-tailed mole
The hairy-tailed mole (''Parascalops breweri''), also known as Brewer's mole, is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only member of the genus ''Parascalops''. The species epithet ''breweri'' refers to Thomas Mayo Brewer, an American ...
, ''P. breweri''
**** Genus ''Scalopus
The Eastern Mole or Common Mole (''Scalopus aquaticus'') is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only member of genus ''Scalopus''. It is found in forested and open areas with moist sandy soils in northern Mexico, the eastern United ...
'' - one species in eastern North America
*****Eastern mole
The Eastern Mole or Common Mole (''Scalopus aquaticus'') is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only member of genus ''Scalopus''. It is found in forested and open areas with moist sandy soils in northern Mexico, the eastern United ...
, ''S. aquaticus''
**** Genus ''Scapanulus
The Gansu mole (''Scapanulus oweni'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae endemic to central China, where it occurs in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai. It is the only species in the genus ''Scapanulus''.
Along with the Medog ...
'' - one species in China
*****Gansu mole
The Gansu mole (''Scapanulus oweni'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae endemic to central China, where it occurs in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai. It is the only species in the genus ''Scapanulus''.
Along with the Medog mol ...
, ''S. oweni''
**** Genus ''Scapanus
''Scapanus'' is a genus of moles in the family Talpidae. They live in North America from west of the Rockies south to Baja California del Norte, and north to British Columbia, wherever conditions permit a mole population; that is to say, apart ...
'' - five species in western North America
*****Mexican mole
The Mexican mole (''Scapanus anthonyi'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Baja California in Mexico, where it is restricted to the highlands of the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir mountain range. Its specific epithet ...
, ''S. anthonyi''
*****Northern broad-footed mole
The northern broad-footed mole (''Scapanus latimanus'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to the United States, where it is found in northern California, Nevada and Oregon at elevations up to 3000 m above sea leve ...
, ''S. latimanus''
*****Southern broad-footed mole
The southern broad-footed mole (''Scapanus occultus'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found only in the U.S. state of California and northernmost Baja California in Mexico.
Taxonomy
It was formerly considered a subspecie ...
, ''S. occultus''
*****Coast mole
The coast mole or Pacific mole (''Scapanus orarius'') is a medium-sized North American mole found in forested and open areas with moist soils along the Pacific coast from southwestern British Columbia to northwestern California.
Taxonomy
Two su ...
, ''S. orarius''
*****Townsend's mole
The Townsend's mole (''Scapanus townsendii'') is a fossorial mammal in the family Talpidae, and is the largest North American mole. It was named after the American naturalist John Kirk Townsend. The name was selected at the request of Thomas Nut ...
, ''S. townsendii''
**Subfamily Talpinae
The subfamily Talpinae, sometimes called "Old World moles" or "Old World moles and relatives", is one of three subfamilies of the mole family Talpidae, the others being the Scalopinae, or New World moles, and the Uropsilinae, or shrew-like moles ...
- Old World moles, desmans, and shrew moles
*** Tribe Talpini
Talpini is a tribe of mammals known as Old World Moles. It is a division of the subfamily Talpinae.
This tribe contains the following genera and species:
* Tribe Talpini
** Genus '' Euroscaptor''
*** Greater Chinese mole, ''E. grandis''
** ...
- talpine moles
**** Genus ''Euroscaptor
''Euroscaptor'' is a genus of mammal in the family Talpidae. Members are found in China and South & Southeast Asia. It contains the following species as of October 2021:
* Greater Chinese mole (''Euroscaptor grandis'')
* Kloss's mole (''Euros ...
'' - ten species in East, South, and Southeast Asia
***** Greater Chinese mole
The greater Chinese mole (''Euroscaptor grandis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in China and potentially Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions r ...
, ''E. grandis''
***** Kloss's mole, ''E. klossi''
***** Kuznetsov's mole, ''E. kuznetsovi''
***** Long-nosed mole
The long-nosed mole (''Euroscaptor longirostris'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, where it has a widespread distribution.
Orlov's mole (''E. orlovi'') and Kuznetsov's mole (''E. kuznetsovi''), both of wh ...
, ''E. longirostris''
***** Malaysian mole, ''E. malayanus''
***** Himalayan mole
The Himalayan mole (''Euroscaptor micrurus'') or short-tailed mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae.
Taxonomy
The Malaysian mole (''E. malayanus'') of peninsular Malaysia was sometimes (erroneously) considered to be a population ...
, ''E. micrurus''
***** Ngoc Linh mole
The Ngoc Linh mole (''Euroscaptor ngoclinhensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to central Vietnam. It was named after Ngọc Linh mountain, which it was first discovered in the vicinity of.
Taxonomy
''E. ngocli ...
, ''E. ngoclinhensis''
***** Orlov's mole, ''E. orlovi''
***** Small-toothed mole, ''E. parvidens''
***** Vietnamese mole, ''E. subanura''
**** Genus ''Mogera
''Mogera'' is a genus of mammals in the family Talpidae. Moles in this genus differ from Old World moles in the genus ''Talpa'' in having one fewer pairs of lower incisors and in having larger hind premolars in the lower jaw.
Species
The gen ...
'' - nine species from East Asia
*****Echigo mole
The Echigo mole (''Mogera etigo'') is an endangered species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan, being found only on the Echigo plain, Niigata prefecture
is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. N ...
, ''M. etigo''
*****Small Japanese mole
The small Japanese mole (''Mogera imaizumii'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan. Even though they are extinct in central Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京 ...
, ''M. imaizumii''
*****Insular mole
The insular mole (''Mogera insularis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is restricted to Hainan Island and Taiwan, where it is also known as the Formosan blind mole. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863.
...
, ''M. insularis''
*****Kano's mole
Kano's mole (''Mogera kanoana'') is a species of mole endemic to Taiwan. The specific name ''kanoana'' is derived from Tadao Kano, a Japanese naturalist who made the first record of these animals in 1940s.
It is found in the mountainous center ...
, ''M. kanoana''
*****La Touche's mole
La Touche's mole (''Mogera latouchei'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in eastern China and parts of northern Vietnam. It is named after Irish naturalist John David Digues La Touche.
It was formerly considered a subs ...
, ''M. latouchei''
*****Ussuri mole
The Ussuri mole or large mole (''Mogera robusta''), is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae, formerlly treated as a subspecies of the Japanese mole. It is found in China, North Korea, South Korea, and Russia and lives in a long burrow, s ...
, ''M. robusta''
*****Sado mole
The Sado mole or Tokuda's mole (''Mogera tokudae'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Sado Island
is a city located on in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Since 2004, the city has comprised the entire island, altho ...
, ''M. tokudae''
*****Senkaku mole
The Senkaku mole (''Mogera uchidai''), also known as the Ryukyu mole, is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It was formerly classified as being the only species in the genus '' Nesoscaptor''. It is endemic to the Uotsuri-jima ( ja, 魚 ...
, ''M. uchidai''
*****Japanese mole
The Japanese mole (''Mogera wogura''), also known as Temminck's mole, is a species of mole endemic to Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacifi ...
, ''M. wogura''
**** Genus '' Oreoscaptor'' - one species in Japan
*****Japanese mountain mole
The Japanese mountain mole (''Oreoscaptor mizura'') is a species of Old World mole in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Oreoscaptor''. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temp ...
, ''O. mizura''
****Genus '' Parascaptor'' - one species in southern Asia
*****White-tailed mole
The white-tailed mole (''Parascaptor leucura'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventi ...
, ''P. leucura''
**** Genus ''Scaptochirus
The short-faced mole (''Scaptochirus moschatus'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is the only species within the genus ''Scaptochirus''. It is endemic to China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is ...
'' - China
***** Short-faced mole, ''S. moschatus''
**** Genus ''Talpa Talpa may refer to:
Places
* Talpa, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
* Talpa, Teleorman, a commune in Teleorman County, Romania
* Talpa, a village in Cândeşti Commune, Botoşani County, Romania
* Talpa, a village in Bârgăuani Commun ...
'' - twelve species, Europe and western Asia
*****Altai mole
The Altai mole or Siberian mole (''Talpa altaica'') is a species of mole in the family Talpidae. It is found throughout the taiga zone of south-central Siberia in Russia, as far south as northern Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
This mole lives in fore ...
, ''T. altaica''
*****Aquitanian mole
The Aquitanian mole (''Talpa aquitania'') is a species of small burrowing mammal of the family Talpidae. It is found from the southwest of France to the north of Spain. Closely related to the European mole (''T. europaea''), this species was desc ...
, ''T. aquitania''
*****Blind mole
The blind mole (''Talpa caeca''), also known as the Mediterranean mole, is a mole found in the Mediterranean region. It is similar to the European mole, differing most prominently in having eyes covered with skin. It is found in Albania, France, G ...
, ''T. caeca''
*****Caucasian mole
The Caucasian mole (''Talpa caucasica'') is a mammal in the family Talpidae that is endemic to the Caucasus Mountains of Russia and Georgia.
Ognev's mole
Ognev's mole (''Talpa ognevi'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It occ ...
, ''T. caucasica''
*****Père David's mole
Père David's mole (''Talpa davidiana'') is a mole found in the Middle East, ranging from south-central Turkey east to Kurdistan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country ...
, ''T. davidiana''
*****European mole
The European mole (''Talpa europaea'') is a mammal of the order Eulipotyphla. It is also known as the common mole and the northern mole.
This mole lives in a tunnel system, which it constantly extends. It uses these tunnels to hunt its prey. Un ...
, ''T. europaea''
*****Levant mole
The Levant mole (''Talpa levantis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey.
There are two subspecies, ''T. l. levantis'' and ''T. l. transcaucasica'' (the Transcaucasian mo ...
, ''T. levantis''
*****Martino's mole
Martino's mole (''Talpa martinorum'') is a species of small blind mole in the family Talpidae found in eastern Thrace along the western Black Sea coast in south-eastern Bulgaria and north-eastern Turkey, mainly in the Strandzha mountain range. In ...
, ''T. martinorum''
*****Spanish mole
The Spanish mole (''Talpa occidentalis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Spain and Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland ...
, ''T. occidentalis''
*****Ognev's mole
Ognev's mole (''Talpa ognevi'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It occurs in the southeastern coastal area of the Black Sea from northeastern Turkey to Georgia. It inhabits different habitats associated with moist soils in lowland ...
, ''T. ognevi''
*****Roman mole
The Roman mole (''Talpa romana'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in southern Italy. It was last recorded on Sicily in 1885. There is also an unconfirmed report about an isolated subpopulation in the Var region of south ...
, ''T. romana''
*****Balkan mole
The Balkan mole (''Talpa stankovici'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Greece, including the island of Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; ...
, ''T. stankovici''
*****Talysch mole
The Talysch mole (''Talpa talyschensis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is a small member of the family, which outwardly resembles the Levant mole (''T. levantis''), but is genetically closer to Père David's mole (''T. david ...
, ''T. talyschensis''
*** Tribe Scaptonychini
**** Genus '' Scaptonyx'' - one species in China and Myanmar
***** Long-tailed mole, ''S. fusicauda''
*** Tribe Desmanini - desmans
**** Genus ''Desmana
''Desmana'' is a genus of mole that contains a single living species, the Russian desman ''(Desmana moschata)''. A number of fossil species are known from throughout Eurasia.
The oldest species is ''Desmana marci'' from the earliest Pliocene of ...
''
***** Russian desman
The Russian desman (''Desmana moschata'') (russian: выхухоль ''vykhukhol'') is a small semiaquatic mammal that inhabits the Volga, Don and Ural River basins in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It constructs burrows into the banks of ponds ...
, ''D. moschata''
**** Genus ''Galemys
''Galemys'' is a genus of mole containing the living Pyrenean desman ''(Galemys pyrenaicus)'' and several fossil species.
Many of these extinct species were far more widespread than the living species; for example, the Early Pleistocene ''Galemys ...
''
***** Pyrenean desman
The Pyrenean desman also called Iberian desman (''Galemys pyrenaicus'') is a small semiaquatic, globally threatened mammal related to moles and shrews, and, along with the Russian desman (''Desmana moschata''), is one of the two extant members ...
, ''G. pyrenaicus''
*** Tribe Urotrichini
Urotrichini is a tribe of the mole family, and consists of Japanese and American shrew-moles. They belong to the Old World moles and relatives branch of the mole family (Talpidae). There are only two species, each of which represents its own g ...
- Japanese shrew moles
**** Genus '' Dymecodon''
***** True's shrew mole
True's shrew mole (''Dymecodon pilirostris'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan (Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu) and is a common species above 1000 meters in grassland, shrubland and forest. Sometimes this speci ...
, ''D. pilirostris''
**** Genus ''Urotrichus
''Urotrichus'' is a genus of talpid that contains a single living species, the Japanese shrew mole ''(Urotrichus talpoides)''. Two fossil species ('' Urotrichus dolichochir'' and '' Urotrichus giganeus'') are also known.
''Urotrichus talpoides' ...
''
***** Japanese shrew mole
The Japanese shrew mole (''Urotrichus talpoides'') or is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan and is found on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Awaji Island, Shodo Island, Oki Islands, Tsushima Island, Goto Islands, Mis ...
, ''U. talpoides''
*** Tribe Neurotrichini
Neurotrichini is a tribe within the subfamily Talpinae of the mole family. It includes the living genus '' Neurotrichus'' with a single living species, the American shrew-mole (''Neurotrichus gibbsii''). While today restricted to the New World, f ...
- New World shrew moles
**** Genus ''Neurotrichus
''Neurotrichus'' is a genus of shrew-like moles. It is classified, together with the fossil genus '' Quyania'', in the tribe Neurotrichini of the subfamily Talpinae. The only living species is the American shrew-mole (''N. gibbsii'') of the n ...
'' - Pacific northwest US, southwest British Columbia
***** American shrew mole
The American shrew mole (''Neurotrichus gibbsii'') is the smallest species of mole. It is the only living member of the genus ''Neurotrichus'' and the tribe Neurotrichini. It is also known as Gibb's shrew mole and least shrew mole. It is not cl ...
, ''N. gibbsii''
Some studies suggest that this classification into three subfamilies is not entirely accurate, finding Uropsilinae
The shrew moles or shrew-like moles (''Uropsilus'') are shrew-like members of Talpidae, the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, ...
to be the most basal member, then Desmanini, then a clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
comprising Neurotrichini
Neurotrichini is a tribe within the subfamily Talpinae of the mole family. It includes the living genus '' Neurotrichus'' with a single living species, the American shrew-mole (''Neurotrichus gibbsii''). While today restricted to the New World, f ...
, Scaptonychini, and Urotrichini
Urotrichini is a tribe of the mole family, and consists of Japanese and American shrew-moles. They belong to the Old World moles and relatives branch of the mole family (Talpidae). There are only two species, each of which represents its own g ...
, then the Condylurini
''Condylura'' is a genus of moles that contains a single extant species, the star-nosed mole ''(Condylura cristata)'' endemic to the northern parts of North America. It is also the only living member of the tribe Condylurini.
While today endemic ...
, and then Talpini
Talpini is a tribe of mammals known as Old World Moles. It is a division of the subfamily Talpinae.
This tribe contains the following genera and species:
* Tribe Talpini
** Genus '' Euroscaptor''
*** Greater Chinese mole, ''E. grandis''
** ...
and Scalopini
The Scalopini are a tribe of moles belonging to the family Talpidae. They include all the New World moles apart from the strikingly distinctive star-nosed mole. As the similarity of the names implies, they are the standard form of the Scalopinae ...
being sister groups
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
to one another. The current classification into 3 subfamilies renders both Talpinae
The subfamily Talpinae, sometimes called "Old World moles" or "Old World moles and relatives", is one of three subfamilies of the mole family Talpidae, the others being the Scalopinae, or New World moles, and the Uropsilinae, or shrew-like moles ...
and Scalopinae
The Scalopinae, or New World moles, are one of three subfamilies of the family Talpidae, which consists of moles and mole-like animals; the other two subfamilies being the Old World talpids (the Talpinae) and the Chinese shrew-like moles (Uropsil ...
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
.
Unrelated mammals built like moles
The following mammals have burrowing habits, and have by virtue of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...
many derived characters in common with true moles from the family Talpidae but are nonetheless unrelated.
* Marsupial mole
Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae , are highly specialized marsupial mammals, known from two species found at the Australian interior.
* ''Notoryctes typhlops'' (southern marsupial mole, known as the ''itjaritjari'' by the Pitjantjatjara and Yan ...
s (2 species): ''Notoryctes typhlops
The southern marsupial mole (''Notoryctes typhlops''), also known as the itjaritjari () or itjari-itjari, is a mole-like marsupial found in the western central deserts of Australia. It is extremely adapted to a burrowing way of life. It has large ...
'', and '' N. caurinus''.
* Golden mole
Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae and as such they are taxonomically distinct from the true moles, family Talpidae, and other mole-like families, all o ...
s (21 species), belonging to the Afrotheria
Afrotheria ( from Latin ''Afro-'' "of Africa" + ''theria'' "wild beast") is a clade of mammals, the living members of which belong to groups that are either currently living in Africa or of African origin: golden moles, elephant shrews (also know ...
.
Relationship with humans
All species in the family Talpidae are classed as "prohibited new organisms" under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996
The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO) is an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North I ...
, preventing them from being imported into the country.
See also
Mouldwarp
A mouldwarp is an ancient dialect word for a mole (''Talpa europaea''). However, a mediaeval prophecy declared that the sixth King of England after King John would be the 'Mouldwarp', a proud, contemptible and cowardly person, having a skin like ...
References
{{Authority control
Mammal families
Extant Eocene first appearances
Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim