''Scapanus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 ...

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 ...

. They live in North America from west of the

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

south to Baja California del Norte, and north to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, wherever conditions permit a mole population; that is to say, apart from the most sandy, rocky, or developed places. As they are one genus, they are very closely related, but as species, they rarely if ever interbreed successfully. It contains the following living species: * Mexican mole (''S. anthonyi'') * Northern broad-footed mole (''S. latimanus'') * Southern broad-footed mole (''S. occultus'') * Coast mole (''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 N ...

(''S. townsendii'') In addition, there are several extinct species known from fossils. *''Scapanus hagermanensis'' ( Mid Blancan stage,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

) *''Scapanus malatinus'' ( Blancan- Quaternary, California). *''Scapanus proceridens'' (

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

, Oregon and Idaho) *''Scapanus shultzi'' (Miocene, California and Oregon)

Distribution

Townsend's mole is primarily a

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 ...

n mole, although its range spills over into neighboring states. The broad-footed mole lives primarily in western

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 ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, and southwestern

, where it often overlaps the smaller range of the Pacific or coast mole, which, as the name implies, does not tend to range as far inland. The broad-footed is one of the largest and most powerful moles, while the coast mole is a quite average-sized mole.

References

''Scapanus''
IUCN {{Taxonbar, from=Q2091646 Scapanus Mammal genera Mammals of North America Taxonomy articles created by Polbot