Townsend's mole (Scapanus townsendii) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 2

COSEWIC Executive Summary

Townsend’s Mole
Scapanus townsendii

Species information

There are six species of moles in Canada. The two found in British Columbia are townsend’s mole (Scapanus townsendii) and the coast mole (S. orarius), both restricted to the Lower Mainland.

Distribution

Townsend’s mole is found throughout most of California, Oregon and Washington in the United States. Its range extends into Canada for several kilometres near Huntingdon. Scapanus townsendii townsendii (Bachman) is the subspecies found in British Columbia.

Habitat

Townsend’s moles are fossorial and typically inhabit lowland areas.  In Canada they are found in pastures, farmland and lawns. They prefer medium-textured silt loam soil with good humus content and are also found in open forests and light sandy soils.

Biology

Townsend’s mole averages 205 mm in total length (range 179-237 mm), making it North America’s largest mole. The body is cylindrical with short, soft gray fur of constant length. Its diet consists mainly of soil invertebrates but it also eats some plant roots. The nonfunctional vestigial eyes detect light but no images. It has an acute tactile sense based on the vibrissae in its snout.  Townsend’s mole has few natural enemies.

Population sizes and trends

There are estimated to be about 450 adult Townsend’s moles in Canada. It has been suggested that the numbers of moles in the Pacific northwest have increased in the past several hundred years because of the creation of more farmland habitat from diking wetland meadows and the introduction of large species of earthworms. Alternatively, control by professional mole trappers, trapping by property owners, intensive agricultural practices, the loss of farmland through urban sprawl and habitat fragmentation may contribute to lower population numbers.

Limiting factors and threats

The amount of available habitat for Townsend’s mole in Canada appears limited to 13 km² near Huntingdon/Abbotsford. Threats to their habitat include farming and urban development. Professional mole trappers are sometimes hired to trap Townsend’s mole.

Special significance of the species

In Canada, Townsend’s mole reaches the northernmost limit of its range. Though small in numbers the population may be significant in maintaining the genetic diversity of a species

Existing protection or other status designations

Townsend’s mole is on the British Columbia Ministry of Environment Red List (Endangered/Threatened), where it has a Subnational Rank of S1 (critically imperiled due to population size <1,000). It was previously listed as a Schedule B species under the B.C. Wildlife Act, identifying it as a nuisance or pest that can be trapped or killed to protect property, but it is now protected under Schedule A.

The global status of the Townsend’s mole as determined by the Association for Biodiversity Information is G5 – secure (common, typically widespread and abundant).

Most mole habitat is protected through the Agricultural Land Reserve, but some of its range is on private property and is unprotected.

COSEWIC Mandate

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, and nationally significant populations that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on all native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, lepidopterans, molluscs, vascular plants, lichens, and mosses.

COSEWIC Membership

COSEWIC comprises representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biosystematic Partnership), three nonjurisdictional members and the co-chairs of the species specialist groups. The committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species.

Definitions

Species
Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora.

Extinct (X)
A species that no longer exists.

Extirpated (XT)
A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

Endangered (E)
A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Threatened (T)
A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Special Concern (SC) *
A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Not at Risk (NAR)**
A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.

Data Deficient (DD)***
A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

* Formerly described as “Vulnerable” from 1990 to 1999, or “Rare” prior to 1990.
** Formerly described as “Not In Any Category”, or “No Designation Required.”
*** Formerly described as “Indeterminate” from 1994 to 1999 or “ISIBD” (insufficient scientific information on which to base a designation) prior to 1994.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list.

The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, provides full administrative and financial support to the COSEWIC Secretariat.

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