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Home/Species/ Northern Broad-footed Mole

Scapanus latimanus

(Bachman, 1842)

Northern Broad-footed Mole

GNRUnranked Found in 16 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
GNRUnrankedGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1354966
Element CodeAMABB02040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderEulipotyphla
FamilyTalpidae
GenusScapanus
Concept Reference
Álvarez-Castañeda, S. T., and P. Cortes-Calva. 2021. Revision of moles in the genus Scapanus. Therya 12(2):275-281.
Taxonomic Comments
Based on phylogenetic analysis and previous morphological analyses, Álvarez-Castañeda and Cortes-Calva (2021) confirm S. anthonyi from San Pedro Mártir as a valid species and propose that S. occultus from southern California and northern Baja California peninsula be considered as a species. See also Yates and Salazar-Bravo (2005).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Distinguished from other members of Scapanus by dark brown to silvery gray pelage, unevenly spaced unicuspid teeth (especially the appression of U5 and U6), and relatively short and broad rostrum (Verts and Carraway 2001).

Habitat

Prefers moist, fairly rich soils with little vegetation, from sea level to about 3000 meters (Verts and Carraway 2001; Yates, in Wilson and Ruff 1999).

Reproduction

Produces one litter of about four young/year (Sumner and Dixon 1953). The young are born sometime between March and April.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousCropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchard
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS4Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
NevadaS3Yes
Roadless Areas (16)
California (12)
AreaForestAcres
Bell QuinbyShasta-Trinity National Forest11,556
Bucks LakePlumas National Forest680
EbbettsHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest255
Hall Natural AreaInyo National Forest5,236
Lake EleanorShasta-Trinity National Forest397
Little French CShasta-Trinity National Forest11,529
Log Cabin SaddlebagInyo National Forest15,165
Mt. EddyShasta-Trinity National Forest7,232
Mt. RebaStanislaus National Forest3,869
North Fork American RiverTahoe National Forest38,495
North Fork Middle Fork American RiverTahoe National Forest11,245
Raymond PeakStanislaus National Forest3,646
Nevada (4)
AreaForestAcres
Rose - Alum CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest853
Rose - EvansHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,782
Rose - GalenaHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest3,711
Rose - Whites CanyonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,568
References (12)
  1. Álvarez-Castañeda, S. T., and P. Cortes-Calva. 2021. Revision of moles in the genus <i>Scapanus</i>. Therya 12(2):275-281.
  2. 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/
  3. Gorman, M. L., and R. D. Stone. 1990. The natural history of moles. Cornell Univ. Press. 208 pp.
  4. Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I &amp; II. John Wiley &amp; Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp.
  5. Ingles, L. G. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific States. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
  6. Jackson, H. H. T. 1915. A review of the American moles. North American Fauna 38:1-100.
  7. Sumner, L., and J. S. Dixon. 1953. Birds and mammals of the Sierra Nevada with records from Sequoia and King's Canyon national parks. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
  8. Verts, B. J., and L. N. Carraway. 2001. <i>Scapanus latimanus</i>. Mammalian Species 666:1-7.
  9. Villarreal-Fletes, J. A., A. A. Guevara-Carrizales, G. Ruiz-Campos, G. De Leon-Giron, and S. Tremor. 2022. Recent Records of Anthony's Mexican Mole (<i>Scapanus anthonyi</i> Allen, 1893) in Sierra San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, México. Western North American Naturalist 82(3):599-602.
  10. Whitaker, J. O., Jr., C. Maser, and R. J. Pedersen. 1979. Food and ectoparasitic mites of Oregon moles. Northwest Science 53:268-273.
  11. Wilson, D. E., and S. Ruff. 1999. The Smithsonian book of North American mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 750 pp.
  12. Yates, T. L., and J. Salazar-Bravo. 2005. A revision of <i>Scapanus latimanus</i>, with the revalidation of a species of Mexican mole. Pp. 479-496 in Contribuciones mastozoológicas en homenaje a Bernardo Villa (Sánchez-Cordero, V., y R. Medellín, eds.). Instituto de Biología e Instituto de Ecología, UNAM. Ciudad de México, México.