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Talpidae
The family (biology), family Talpidae () includes the true Mole (animal), moles (as well as the shrew moles and desmans) who are small insectivore, insectivorous mammals of the order (biology), order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all fossorial, digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean animals; shrew moles and shrew-like moles somewhat less so; and desmans, while basically aquatic, excavate dry sleeping chambers; whilst the quite unique star-nosed mole is equally adept in the water and underground. Talpids are found across the Northern Hemisphere of Eurasia and North America (although none are found in Ireland nor in the Americas south of northern Mexico), and range as far south as the Montane ecosystems, montane regions of tropical Southeast Asia. The first talpids evolved from shrew-like animals which adapted to digging late in the Eocene in Europe. ''Eotalpa, Eotalpa anglica'' is the oldest known mole, it was discovered in the Late Eocene deposits of Ham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desman
Desmans are aquatic insectivores of the tribe Desmanini (also considered a subfamily, Desmaninae) in the mole (animal), mole family, Talpidae. This tribe consists of two living species found in Europe: the Russian desman (''Desmana moschata'') in European Russia, and the Pyrenean desman (''Galemys pyrenaicus'') in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrenees. Both species are Endangered species, endangered, the Russian desman Critically Endangered, critically so. They have webbed paws and their front paws are not well-adapted for digging. Desmans were much more diverse and widespread during the Miocene, with two genera, ''Gaillardia (mole), Gaillardia'' and ''Magnatalpa'', being present in North America. Both living species are thought to have derived from the fossil genus ''Archaeodesmana.'' Species *Genus ''Desmana'' **Russian desman (''D. moschata'') **†''Desmana kowalskae'' **†''Desmana nehringi'' **†''Desmana inflata'' **†''Desmana thermalis'' **†''Des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uropsilinae
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 ears, and small forefeet unspecialized for burrowing. Although they are similar to shrews in size, external appearance, and, presumably, ecological habits, they are nevertheless talpids and considered true moles, as they share a full zygomatic arch with all other moles, while this arch is completely absent in shrews. The genus is the only one of the subfamily Uropsilinae, which is one of the three main subfamilies of Talpidae, the other two being Talpinae, or Old World moles and relatives; and the Scalopinae, or New World moles. Although little is currently known regarding any aspect of their natural history, the Uropsilinae are thought to be the most ancestral group of moles, and as such, very similar to the primitive talpid from w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mole (animal)
Moles are small, fossorial, subterranean mammals. They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous eyes and ears, reduced hindlimbs, and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging. The word "mole" most commonly refers to many species in the family Talpidae (which are named after the Latin word for mole, ''talpa''). True moles are found in most parts of North America, Europe (except for Ireland) and Asia. Other mammals referred to as moles include the African Golden mole, golden moles and the Australian Marsupial mole, marsupial moles, which have a similar ecology and lifestyle to true moles but are unrelated. Moles may be viewed as pests to gardeners, but they provide positive contributions to soil, gardens, and ecosystems, including soil aeration, feeding on slugs and small creatures that eat plant roots, and providing prey for other wildlife. They eat earthworms and other small invertebrates in the soil. Terminology In Middle English, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ( Uropsilinae). The Scalopinae are the only Talpidae subfamily to consist entirely of undisputed moles and no mole-like close relatives such as shrew-moles or desmans. They are found in temperate North America and parts of China. In North America, they exist virtually everywhere soil conditions permit except northern Canada and those areas of northeastern Mexico where the soil is too sandy. Despite this subfamily being referred to as "New World moles", there are also two species in the mountains of China, each in their own monotypic genus. Morphological and paleontological analyses indicate that both tribes in the subfamily originated in Eurasia during the Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. These mammals in the order Eulipotyphla mainly live under ground. The species in this group are all found in Eurasia, except '' Neurotrichus gibbsii''. Most species have front paws specialized for tunneling which are clawed and face outwards from the body. They mainly eat insects and other small invertebrates. Taxonomy Although most systems recognize this subfamily as monophyletic, some studies indicate that it as currently defined is paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ... with respect to the Scalopinae, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eulipotyphla
Eulipotyphla (, from '' eu-'' + '' Lipotyphla'', meaning truly lacking blind gut; sometimes called true insectivores) is an order of mammals comprising the Erinaceidae ( hedgehogs and gymnures); Solenodontidae (solenodons); Talpidae ( moles, shrew-like moles and desmans); and Soricidae (true shrews) families. Taxonomic history Historically, these animals were grouped with others such as treeshrews, elephant shrews, and colugos, under the broader category Insectivora, comprising all small insect-eating placental mammals. Wilhelm Peters identified two sub-groups of Insectivora, distinguished by the presence or absence of a cecum in the large intestine. In his 1866 ''Generelle morphologie der organismen'', Ernst Haeckel named these groups Menotyphla and Lipotyphla, respectively from ''μένω'' ("remain")/''λείπω'' ("lack" or "leave behind") + ''τυφλὸν'' literally "blind", as in ''τυφλὸν ἔντερον'' ("blind intestine", from which the Latin '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star-nosed Mole
The star-nosed mole (''Condylura cristata'') is a small semiaquatic mole (animal), mole found in moist, low elevation areas in the northeastern parts of North America. It is the only Extant taxon, extant member of the tribe Condylurini and genus ''Condylura''. It has more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors in touch organs, known as Eimer's organs, with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around. With the help of its Eimer's organs, it may be perfectly poised to detect seismic wave vibrations. The nose is about in diameter with its Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages. Eimer's organs were first described in the European mole in 1872 by German zoologist Theodor Eimer. Other mole species also possess Eimer's organs, though they are not as specialized or numerous as in the star-nosed mole. Because the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, the snout was long suspected to be used to detect electrical activity in prey animals, though little, if any, empirical support ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talpa (mammal)
''Talpa'' is a genus in the mole family Talpidae. Among the first taxa in science, Carolus Linnaeus used the Latin word for "mole", ''talpa'', in his Regnum Animale to refer to the commonly known European form of mole. The group has since been expanded to include 13 extant species, found primarily in Europe and western Asia. The European mole, found throughout most of Europe, is a member of this genus, as are several species restricted to small ranges. One species, Père David's mole, is data deficient. These moles eat earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates found in the soil. The females of this genus have rudimentary male features such as Cowper's glands and a two-lobed prostate. A group of scientists has suggested that they are true hermaphrodites; however, others state that they are fully functional females. There are 14 species in this genus: * Altai mole, ''T. altaica'' * Aquitanian mole, ''T. aquitania'' * Blind mole, ''T. caeca'' * Caucasian mole, ''T. cau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russian Desman
The Russian desman (''Desmana moschata''; ''vykhukhol'') is a small semiaquatic mammal that inhabits the Volga river, Volga, Don River, Russia, Don and Ural River basins in Russia. Some authorities, citing old Soviet sources, claim the animal can be found in Eastern Ukraine and Northern Kazakhstan, but, as of 2020, the accuracy of such claims is disputed. It constructs burrows into the banks of ponds and slow-moving streams, but prefers small, overgrown ponds with abundance of insects, crayfish and amphibians. The Russian desman often lives in small groups of two to five animals, that are usually not related, and appears to have a complex (but largely unstudied) communication and presocial, social system. Taxonomy The Russian desman is one of two surviving Monotypic taxon, species of the tribe ''Desmanini'', the other being the Pyrenean desman. Despite its outward similarity to muskrats (a rodent), the Russian desman is actually part of the mole (animal), mole family Talpidae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Mole
The eastern mole or common mole (''Scalopus aquaticus'') is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only species in the genus ''Scalopus''. It is found in forested and open areas with moist sandy soils in northern Mexico, the eastern United States and the southwestern corner of Ontario in Canada. The eastern mole has grey-brown fur with silver-grey underparts, a pointed nose and a short tail. It is about in length including a long tail and weighs about . Its front paws are broad and spade-shaped, specialized for digging. It has 36 teeth. Its eyes are covered by fur and its ears are not visible. The eastern mole spends most of its time underground, foraging in shallow burrows for earthworms, grubs, beetles, insect larvae and some plant matter. It is active year-round. It is mainly solitary except during mating in early spring. The female has a litter of two to five young in a deep burrow. In Canada, the eastern mole is limited to about 2,600 acres in southern Ontario ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ..., they are found in the grounds of the Imperial Palace. References Endemic mammals of Japan Mogera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1936 Taxa named by Nagamichi Kuroda {{soricomorpha-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
