Louisiana mammals

Eastern Mole in Louisiana

Scalopus aquaticus

Native to Louisiana S4 Apparently Secure in Louisiana

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

Occasional in Louisiana 38th most recorded of 72 mammals logged in Louisiana

40 occurrence records
40 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 19, 2026 Last seen in Louisiana

Records from 2000–2026.

40 total records count every Louisiana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 38; the monthly chart covers the 38 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Mole in Louisiana

Most sightings fall in March to April.

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

Monthly Louisiana records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February1
March5
April7
May3
June5
July1
August2
September4
October3
November5
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Louisiana, with recorded sightings peaking in March–April, with a smaller rise in June and November.

Occurrence map

Where Eastern Mole has been recorded in Louisiana

38 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

38 Louisiana records mapped

Where it's recorded in Louisiana

CountyRecords
St. Tammany County 5
Caddo County 4
East Baton Rouge County 4
West Feliciana County 3
Grant County 3
Lafayette County 3
Livingston County 2
St. Landry County 2
Lincoln County 2
Ouachita County 2
Vernon County 2
Tangipahoa County 1
5 other counties 7

The complete county distribution, spread across 17 Louisiana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Eastern moles spend nearly all their lives underground, yet all 40 of Louisiana’s records appear on iNaturalist, with 28 also in GBIF, and they scatter thinly across 17 parishes led by St. Tammany with 5. NatureServe rates the state population S4, apparently secure.

Records stay in single digits every month, topping out at 7 in April, with December the only month without one; a spring high fits wet soil pushing moles closer to the surface, though counts this small can’t show much of a season.

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 Louisiana 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