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The eastern mole or common mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is a medium-sized North American mole. It is the only species in the genus Scalopus. It is found in forested and open areas with moist sandy soils in northern Mexico, the eastern United States and the southwestern corner of Ontario in Canada.
The eastern mole has grey-brown fur with silver-grey underparts, a pointed nose and a short tail. It is about Template:Convert in length including a Template:Convert long tail and weighs about Template:Convert. Its front paws are broad and spade-shaped, specialized for digging. It has 36 teeth. Its eyes are covered by fur and its ears are not visible.
The eastern mole spends most of its time underground, foraging in shallow burrows for earthworms, grubs, beetles, insect larvae and some plant matter. It is active year-round. It is mainly solitary except during mating in early spring. The female has a litter of two to five young in a deep burrow.
In Canada, the eastern mole is limited to about 2,600 acres in southern Ontario, primarily in Essex and Kent Counties. it prefers soft, sandy, or muddy soils and avoids clay or gravel, making its suitable habitat highly limited.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SubspeciesEdit
A majority of the moles throughout their range are Scalopus aquaticus aquaticus. All the other subspecies exist in small pocket ranges.
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Subspecies | Name | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. a. aquaticus | Eastern mole | Throughout the mainland United States and Canada | |
| S. a. anastasae | Anastasia Island mole | Anastasia Island, a small close-to-shore island off of St. Augustine, Florida.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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| S. a. bassi | Englewood mole | The area within and surrounding Englewood, Florida.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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| S. a. texanus | Presidia mole | citation | CitationClass=web
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See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
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