Oklahoma mammals

Eastern Mole in Oklahoma

Scalopus aquaticus

Native to Oklahoma SNR Unranked in Oklahoma

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

Common in Oklahoma 36th most recorded of 120 mammals logged in Oklahoma

124 occurrence records
92 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 27, 2026 Last seen in Oklahoma

Records from 2000–2026.

124 total records count every Oklahoma occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 120; the monthly chart covers the 120 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Eastern Mole in Oklahoma

Most sightings fall in May to June.

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

Monthly Oklahoma records (table)
MonthRecords
January6
February5
March2
April6
May23
June18
July12
August7
September14
October15
November5
December7

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Oklahoma, with recorded sightings peaking in May–June, with a smaller rise in September–October.

Occurrence map

Where Eastern Mole has been recorded in Oklahoma

120 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

120 Oklahoma records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Drummond Flats Wildlife Management Area 1
Western Hills Guest Ranch/sequoya Sp State Resort 1
Fort Supply Wildlife Management Area 1
Arcadia Conservation Education Area 1
Central State Park 1
Keystone State Park 1
Quartz Mountain State Resort Park 1
Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area 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 Oklahoma

CountyRecords
Cleveland County 38
Tulsa County 15
Oklahoma County 9
Le Flore County 9
Payne County 8
Osage County 5
Woodward County 5
Rogers County 4
Washington County 3
Okmulgee County 2
Woods County 2
Cherokee County 2
15 other counties 22

The complete county distribution, spread across 27 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma’s 124 records split almost evenly between iNaturalist (92) and GBIF (98), with Cleveland County holding 38 of them. No NatureServe rank appears on file, SNR unranked.

May alone accounts for 23 of the year’s monthly-tallied records, the largest single-month share, likely tracking spring soil-moisture conditions that push moles closer to the surface and make their raised tunnels more visible after seasonal rains; September and October offer a secondary bump.

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 Oklahoma 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"