Broad-footed Mole

About the 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 9,800 feet (3,000 m) above sea level.

Formerly, this species was thought to have a wider range reaching down to northernmost Baja California, Mexico, with a disjunct population further south in Sierra de San Pedro Martir. However, taxonomic and morphological studies indicate that the subspecies in southern California and northernmost Baja California is a distinct species, the southern broad-footed mole (S. occultus) and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir subspecies is also a distinct species, the Mexican mole (S. anthonyi). Due to this, the range of S. latimanus is thought to be restricted to the United States.

Up to 12 subspecies of S. latimanus have been described, but S. anthonyi and S. occultus have been split as distinct species. Analysis of the remaining subspecies have found that most of them represent junior synonyms of other subspecies; under this classification, only four subspecies of S. latimanus remain: S. l. latimanus, S. l. minisculus, S. l. insularis... Wikipedia →