Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderEulipotyphla
FamilyTalpidae
GenusScapanus
Other Common Names
coast mole (EN) Taupe du Pacifique (FR)
Concept Reference
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-05
Change Date1996-11-04
Range Extent20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Occur commonly in a wide variety of habitats.
Range Extent Comments
Southwestern British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to coastal northwestern California; also in parts of eastern Washington and Oregon, and extreme west-central Idaho.
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Agricultural land, coastal dunes, grassy meadows, coniferous and deciduous forest and woodland, along streams. Fossorial, occasionally active on surface (especially dispersing juveniles in summer). Quickly recolonizes formerly flooded areas. Breeding nests are located about 15 cm below the surface of the ground. The nest cavity is lined with coarse grass. It is about 20 cm across and has several entrances (van Zyll de Jong 1983).
Ecology
Solitary except when breeding. Population density highly variable, ranges from 1/0.10 ha to 1/14 ha (van Zyll de Jong 1983). Maximum longevity probably is about 4-5 years. Average home range has been estimated at 0.12 ha.
Reproduction
Breeds January-early March. Parturition occurs in late March or early April. Litter size is 2-4; 1 litter annually. Females are reproductively active at 9-10 months.
Álvarez-Castañeda, S. T., and P. Cortes-Calva. 2021. Revision of moles in the genus <i>Scapanus</i>. Therya 12(2):275-281.
American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2025. Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.13) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10595931. Online. Available: https://www.mammaldiversity.org/
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Bradley, R.D., L.K. Ammerman, R.J. Baker, L.C. Bradley, J.A. Cook. R.C. Dowler, C. Jones, D.J. Schmidly, F.B. Stangl Jr., R.A. Van den Bussche and B. Würsig. 2014. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 2014. Museum of Texas Tech University Occasional Papers 327:1-28. Available at: http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/publications/opapers/ops/OP327.pdf
Carraway, L. N., L. F. Alexander, and B. J. Verts. 1993. <i>Scapanus townsendii</i>. Mammalian Species 434:1-7.
Godin, A. J. 1977. Wild mammals of New England. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 304 pp.
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Hallett, J. G. 1978. <i>Parascalops breweri.</i> Mammalian Species 98. 4 pp
Hartman, G. D. and T. L. Yates. 1985. <i>Scapanus orarius</i>. American Society of Mammalogists, Mammalian Species No. 253:1-5.
Jackson, H. H. T. 1915. A review of the American moles. North American Fauna 38:1-100.
Nowak, R. M. 1991. Walker's mammals of the world. Fifth edition. Vols. I and II. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. 1629 pp.
van Zyll de Jong, C.G. 1983. Handbook of Canadian mammals. 1. Marsupials and insectivores. National Museum of Natural Sciences, National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Canada. 210 pp.
Verts, B. J., and L. N. Carraway. 1998. Land mammals of Oregon. University of California Press, Berkeley. xvi + 668 pp.
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.