California mammals

Coast Mole in California

Scapanus orarius

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius)Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius)Coast mole on bare soil facing the camera, showing spade-like front paws and pink snout
Photo: Riley Pollom · CC BY 4.0Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius)Photo: Grant Chovil · CC BY 4.0Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius)Photo: Sam Beaumont · CC BY 4.0Coast mole on bare soil facing the camera, showing spade-like front paws and pink snout

Coast Mole in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 173rd most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

118 occurrence records
36 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

118 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 117; the monthly chart covers the 116 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Coast Mole in California

Most sightings fall in April to May.

116 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January6
February1
March6
April24
May23
June9
July18
August15
September3
October3
November2
December6

Monthly coast mole occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May, with a smaller rise in July–August.

Occurrence map

Where Coast Mole has been recorded in California

117 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

117 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Redwood National Park 7
Trinidad State Beach 2
Mad River Slough Wildlife Area 2
Jackson Demonstration State Forest 1
Hendy Woods State Park 1
Headwaters Forest Reserve 1

Protected places with the most coast mole sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
Humboldt County 88
Trinity County 13
Del Norte County 9
Mendocino County 4
Siskiyou County 2
Plumas County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 6 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Coast Mole records in California fit moist forest, brush, and meadow along the Pacific side of the state.

Reports center on the redwood belt and Coast Ranges, with some records extending into the Sierra Nevada. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Mar–Apr, Jul–Aug. That pattern can reflect animal movements, weather, and observer effort, so it isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius)
Full species profile Coast Mole Scapanus orarius Size 12.3 cm4.8 in Weight 62 g2.2 oz Lifespan Up to 3 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"