Arkansas mammals

Eastern Mole in Arkansas

Scalopus aquaticus

Native to Arkansas S5 Secure in Arkansas

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Bert Cash from Brunswick , USA · CC BY 2.0Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus)Photo: Kenneth Catania, Vanderbilt University · CC BY-SA 3.0Front view showing the naked snout and paddle-shaped front feet

Eastern mole surfacing head-first with front digging claws splayed — Photo: Bert Cash from Brunswick , USA · CC BY 2.0Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus)Photo: Kenneth Catania, Vanderbilt University · CC BY-SA 3.0Front view showing the naked snout and paddle-shaped front feet

Eastern Mole in Arkansas, by the numbers

Common in Arkansas 22nd most recorded of 78 mammals logged in Arkansas

149 occurrence records

110 with iNaturalist photos

May 25, 2026 Last seen in Arkansas

Records from 2000–2026.

149 total records count every Arkansas occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 147 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Mole in Arkansas

Most sightings fall in April to May.

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

Monthly Arkansas records (table)

Month	Records
January	8
February	7
March	12
April	20
May	32
June	12
July	5
August	9
September	11
October	11
November	9
December	11

Monthly eastern mole occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Arkansas, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Arkansas, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May.

Occurrence map

Where Eastern Mole has been recorded in Arkansas

149 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

147 Arkansas records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Buffalo National River	3
Chensey Prairie Natural Area	2
Kelly's Slab	1
Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park	1
Sylamore Wildlife Management Area	1
Warren Prairie 12 (Plum Creek)	1
Bull Shoals White River State Park	1
Crowley's Ridge State Park	1

Protected places with the most eastern 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 Arkansas

County	Records
Washington County	37
Benton County	21
Clay County	8
Stone County	7
Pulaski County	5
Sebastian County	5
Carroll County	5
Crawford County	5
Newton County	5
Saline County	4
Craighead County	4
Baxter County	4
28 other counties	39

The complete county distribution, spread across 40 Arkansas counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Eastern mole reports come from the Ouachita and Ozark regions, including Ouachita National Forest and Buffalo National River. The species spends nearly all its time underground, so raised tunnels and fresh soil are often easier to find than the animal itself.

Records span the year and rise in April and May, when moist soils and surface activity can improve detection. Sightings substantially undercount this fossorial mammal.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Eastern Mole Scalopus aquaticus Size 14.8 cm5.8 in Weight 75 g2.6 oz Lifespan Up to 6.2 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Arkansas 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"