The family Talpidae () includes the true moles (as well as the 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 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 regions of tropical Southeast Asia.

The first talpids evolved from shrew-like animals which adapted to digging late in the Eocene in Europe. Eotalpa anglica is the oldest known mole, it was discovered in the Late Eocene deposits of Hampshire Basin, UK. The most primitive living talpids are believed to be the shrew-like moles, 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 moles of North America, as small as 10 cm in length and weighing under 12 grams, to the Russian desman, with a body length of 18–22 cm, and a weight of about 550 grams. The fur varies between species, but is always dense and short; desmans have waterproof undercoats and oily guard hairs, 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. Talpids rely primarily on their sense of touch, having sensory vibrissae 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 of talpids points backwards, and they have no scrotum.

  • Northern broad-footed mole, S. latimanus
  • Southern broad-footed mole, S. occultus
  • Coast mole, S. orarius
  • Townsend's mole, S. townsendii
  • Subfamily Talpinae - Old World moles, desmans, and shrew moles
  • Tribe Talpini - talpine moles
  • Genus Euroscaptor - ten species in East, South, and Southeast Asia
  • Greater Chinese mole, E. grandis
  • Kloss's mole, E. klossi
  • Kuznetsov's mole, E. kuznetsovi
  • Long-nosed mole, E. longirostris
  • Malaysian mole, E. malayanus
  • Himalayan mole, E. micrurus
  • Ngoc Linh mole, E. ngoclinhensis
  • Orlov's mole, E. orlovi
  • Small-toothed mole, E. parvidens
  • Vietnamese mole, E. subanura
  • Genus Mogera - nine species from East Asia
  • Echigo mole, M. etigo
  • Small Japanese mole, M. imaizumii
  • Insular mole, M. insularis
  • Kano's mole, M. kanoana
  • La Touche's mole, M. latouchei
  • Ussuri mole, M. robusta
  • Sado mole, M. tokudae
  • Senkaku mole, M. uchidai
  • Japanese mole, M. wogura
  • Genus Oreoscaptor - one species in Japan
  • Japanese mountain mole, O. mizura
  • Genus Parascaptor - one species in southern Asia
  • White-tailed mole, P. leucura
  • Genus Scaptochirus - China
  • Short-faced mole, S. moschatus
  • Genus Talpa - thirteen species, Europe and western Asia
  • Altai mole, T. altaica
  • Aquitanian mole, T. aquitania
  • Blind mole, T. caeca
  • Caucasian mole, T. caucasica
  • Père David's mole, T. davidiana
  • European mole, T. europaea
  • Levant mole, T. levantis
  • Martino's mole, T. martinorum
  • Spanish mole, T. occidentalis
  • Ognev's mole, T. ognevi
  • Roman mole, T. romana
  • Balkan mole, T. stankovici
  • Talysch mole, T. talyschensis
  • Tribe Scaptonychini
  • Genus Scaptonyx - one species in China and Myanmar
  • Long-tailed mole, S. fusicauda
  • Tribe Desmanini - desmans
  • Genus Desmana
  • Russian desman, D. moschata
  • Genus Galemys
  • Pyrenean desman, G. pyrenaicus
  • Tribe Urotrichini - Japanese shrew moles
  • Genus Dymecodon
  • True's shrew mole, D. pilirostris
  • Genus Urotrichus
  • Japanese shrew mole, U. talpoides
  • Tribe Neurotrichini - New World shrew moles
  • Genus Neurotrichus - Pacific northwest US, southwest British Columbia
  • American shrew mole, N. gibbsii

Some studies suggest that this classification into three subfamilies is not entirely accurate, finding Uropsilinae to be the most basal member, then Desmanini, then a clade comprising Neurotrichini, Scaptonychini, and Urotrichini, then the Condylurini, and then Talpini and Scalopini being sister groups to one another. The current classification into 3 subfamilies renders both Talpinae and Scalopinae paraphyletic.

Unrelated mammals built like moles

The following mammals have burrowing habits, and have by virtue of convergent evolution many derived characters in common with true moles from the family Talpidae but are nonetheless unrelated.

  • Marsupial moles (2 species): Notoryctes typhlops, and N. caurinus.
  • Golden moles (21 species), belonging to the Afrotheria.

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, preventing them from being imported into the country.

See also

  • Mouldwarp

References