Oregon mammals

Townsend's mole in Oregon

Scapanus townsendii

Native to Oregon S4 Apparently Secure in Oregon

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

Live Townsend's mole in green grass, broad pale forepaw and pointed pink snout visibleAI-generated image: Townsend's mole half-emerged from dark soil at the grass edge. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Townsend's mole pushing through damp leaf litter. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: Colton Veltkamp · CC BY 4.0Live Townsend's mole in green grass, broad pale forepaw and pointed pink snout visibleAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyTownsend's mole half-emerged from dark soil at the grass edgeAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyTownsend's mole pushing through damp leaf litter

Townsend's mole in Oregon, by the numbers

Occasional in Oregon 93rd most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

473 occurrence records
60 with iNaturalist photos
May 12, 2026 Last seen in Oregon

Records from 2000–2026.

473 total records count every Oregon occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300.

When to look for the Townsend's mole in Oregon

Most sightings fall in May to July.

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

Monthly Oregon records (table)
MonthRecords
January8
February12
March19
April33
May83
June85
July83
August47
September42
October20
November21
December20

Monthly townsend's mole occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Oregon, with recorded sightings peaking in May–July.

Occurrence map

Where Townsend's mole has been recorded in Oregon

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Siuslaw National Forest 3
McDonald-Dunn Research Forest 1
Pacific University 1

Protected places with the most townsend's 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 Oregon

CountyRecords
Clackamas County 106
Tillamook County 99
Marion County 54
Multnomah County 50
Benton County 38
Coos County 28
Washington County 19
Lincoln County 19
Lane County 15
Columbia County 12
Clatsop County 11
Curry County 5
6 other counties 17

The complete county distribution, spread across 18 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Townsend’s moles are the largest mole species in North America, and Oregon sits at the heart of their range, tunneling through the soft, moist soil of the Willamette Valley’s farmland and the sandy ground behind the dunes at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Most records come from raised tunnel ridges and molehills rather than a direct sighting, since this species spends nearly its entire life underground.

Records climb sharply into a May and June peak, roughly seven times the winter low, a window that likely reflects when soft spring soil makes fresh digging most visible at the surface rather than any true seasonal shift in mole activity. NatureServe ranks the species S4, apparently secure, in Oregon, consistent with a species that’s genuinely common but rarely seen.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Live Townsend's mole in green grass, broad pale forepaw and pointed pink snout visible
Full species profile Townsend's mole Scapanus townsendii Size 18.6 cm7.3 in Weight 138 g4.9 oz View the full profile

More mammals in Oregon 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"