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

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

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus)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 19th most recorded of 78 mammals logged in Arkansas

116 occurrence records
116 with iNaturalist photos
May 25, 2026 Last seen in Arkansas

Records from 2000–2026.

116 total records count every Arkansas occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 106; the monthly chart covers the 106 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Mole in Arkansas

Most sightings fall in April to May.

106 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)
MonthRecords
January8
February4
March9
April16
May23
June6
July3
August7
September7
October10
November8
December5

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

106 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

106 Arkansas records mapped

Notable places to look

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

CountyRecords
Washington County 25
Benton County 21
Sebastian County 6
Carroll County 5
Newton County 4
Baxter County 4
Craighead County 3
Crawford County 3
Pulaski County 3
Johnson County 2
Drew County 2
Greene County 2
22 other counties 36

The complete county distribution, spread across 34 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.

Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus)
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"