Article
Article
Mole (zoology)
Article By:
Whitaker, John O., Jr. Department of Biology, Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana.
Last reviewed:December 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.429850
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- Mole (zoology), published June 2014:Download PDF
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The common name for any of the insectivorous mammals belonging to the family Talpidae and having forelimbs adapted for digging. The insectivorous mammals known as the moles (see illustration) are classified in the family Talpidae in the order Eulipotyphla. Formerly, these creatures were assigned to the now-abandoned order Insectivora (also Soricomorpha). There are more than 40 species in 17 genera of talpids distributed across North America, Europe, and Asia. See also: Insectivora; Mammalia
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