Townsend's mole (Scapanus townsendii) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 11

Summary of Status Report

Townsend’s mole is at the northern edge of its range in Canada. A small, apparently stable population exists near the international boundary close to Huntingdon and Abbotsford. Moles are found in silt loam soils, preferring pastures and open farmland. A small number of specimens has been collected over 80 years with no dramatic change in distribution. Urbanization and the possibility of changes in the Agricultural Land Reserve pose a threat in the long term. The distribution range in the United States is continuous with the population in Canada, but the population south of the border is probably very small and faces the same development threats as the Canadian moles, decreasing the potential for a rescue effect.

Townsend’s mole is considered a pest and is often removed or killed if causing property damage. Most of the habitat of Townsend’s mole is private property but some is protected through the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Townsend’s mole is almost completely fossorial and has few natural enemies. It feeds mainly on earthworms. The relatively low reproductive rate appears to afford adequate recruitment for new or vacated habitat.

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