Florida mammals

Eastern Mole in Florida

Scalopus aquaticus

Native to Florida SNR Unranked in Florida

Not listed as nonindigenous in Florida by USGS NAS; native to its Florida 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 Florida, by the numbers

Common in Florida 23rd most recorded of 116 mammals logged in Florida

2,219 occurrence records
555 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 5, 2026 Last seen in Florida

Records from 2000–2026.

2,219 total records count every Florida occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,644 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Mole in Florida

Most sightings fall in April to September.

1,644 Florida occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Florida records (table)
MonthRecords
January108
February85
March113
April145
May221
June165
July194
August193
September229
October67
November47
December77

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in April–September.

Occurrence map

Where Eastern Mole has been recorded in Florida

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Florida records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Ocala National Forest 7
University of Central Florida Natural Area 6
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park 6
Ichetucknee Springs State Park 6
Highlands Hammock State Park 3
Florida Atlantic University Ecological Site 3
Myakka River State Park 3
Canaveral National Seashore 2

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 Florida

CountyRecords
Marion County 621
Alachua County 473
Citrus County 171
Indian River County 166
Leon County 57
Levy County 56
Brevard County 55
Orange County 53
Pinellas County 48
Sarasota County 41
Volusia County 39
Duval County 37
44 other counties 402

The complete county distribution, spread across 56 Florida counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

The eastern mole’s Florida records split between two leading sites: Ocala National Forest and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, each with 5 named reports. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park adds 2, with single records at Apalachicola National Forest, Myakka River State Park, and Canaveral National Seashore, a spread that crosses the peninsula from central forest to Atlantic coast to inland prairie.

Florida’s 2,219 records peak in September, at 229, with a close second in May at 221. Moles spend most of their lives underground, so records depend on the surface signs people happen to notice, not a true activity count.

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 Florida in the atlas

Data & sources

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