| Townsend's Mole[1] | ||||||||||||||
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| 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. This animal has velvety black fur, a pointed snout and a short thick nearly hairless tail. It is about 21 cm in length including a 4 cm long tail and weighs about 138 g. Its front paws are broad and spade-shaped, specialized for digging; the rear paws are smaller. It has 44 teeth. Its ears are not visible and it has small eyes. It is 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. It is active year round. This animal is 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.
References
- ^ Hutterer, Rainer (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 302. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). Scapanus townsendii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-05-12. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
