Comprehensive Report Species - Condylura cristata

Concept Reference: Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Second Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Concept Reference Code: B93WIL01NAUS
Name Used in Concept Reference: Condylura cristata
Taxonomic Comments: Includes C. PARVA as a subspecies (Hutterer, in Wilson and Reeder 1993).

NatureServe Status

Global Status: G5
Global Status Last Reviewed: 04Nov1996
Global Status Last Changed: 04Nov1996
Rounded Global Status: G5 - Secure
Reasons: Common over large range in southeastern Canada and the eastern U.S.
Nation: United States
National Status: N5
Nation: Canada
National Status: N5 (25Jan2000)

U.S. & Canada State/Province Status
United States	Connecticut (S5), Delaware (S4), District of Columbia (S3), Florida (SNR), Georgia (S2?), Indiana (S2?), Maine (S5), Maryland (S4), Massachusetts (S5), Michigan (S5), Minnesota (SNR), New Hampshire (S5), New Jersey (S4), New York (S5), North Carolina (S4), North Dakota (SNR), Ohio (S3), Pennsylvania (S5), Rhode Island (S4), South Carolina (S3?), Tennessee (S2), Vermont (S4), Virginia (S4), West Virginia (S2), Wisconsin (S4)
Canada	Labrador (S4), Manitoba (S3), New Brunswick (S5), Nova Scotia (S5), Ontario (S5), Quebec (S5)

Other Statuses

IUCN Red List Category: LC - Least concern

NatureServe Global Conservation Status Factors

Range Extent: 20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments: Primarily distributed in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. Labrador, Quebec, and Nova Scotia westward to eastern North Dakota and southeastern Manitoba, and south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, south in the Appalachians to the Great Smoky Mountains (e.g., Beane 1995, Brimleyana 22:77-86), and south along the Atlantic coast to southeastern Georgia. Ranges farther north than all other native mole species.

Number of Occurrences: 81 to >300

Population Size: 10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

Other NatureServe Conservation Status Information

Global Range: (20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)) Primarily distributed in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. Labrador, Quebec, and Nova Scotia westward to eastern North Dakota and southeastern Manitoba, and south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, south in the Appalachians to the Great Smoky Mountains (e.g., Beane 1995, Brimleyana 22:77-86), and south along the Atlantic coast to southeastern Georgia. Ranges farther north than all other native mole species.

U.S. States and Canadian Provinces

Endemism: occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

U.S. & Canada State/Province Distribution
United States	CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
Canada	LB, MB, NB, NS, ON, QC

Range Map

Note: Range depicted for New World only. The scale of the maps may cause narrow coastal ranges or ranges on small islands not to appear. Not all vagrant or small disjunct occurrences are depicted. For migratory birds, some individuals occur outside of the passage migrant range depicted. A shapefile of this map is available for download at www.natureserve.org/getData/animalData.jsp.

Range Map Compilers: NatureServe, 2005; Sechrest, 2002

Natural heritage records exist for the following U.S. counties
State	County Name (FIPS Code)
GA	Charlton (13049)*, Effingham (13103)
IN	Elkhart (18039), Fulton (18049), Kosciusko (18085)*, La Porte (18091), Lagrange (18087), Noble (18113), St. Joseph (18141), Steuben (18151), Wabash (18169)
NC	Beaufort (37013), Bladen (37017), Brunswick (37019), Columbus (37047), Dare (37055), Hoke (37093), Hyde (37095), Iredell (37097), Mecklenburg (37119), Mitchell (37121), Moore (37125), Pender (37141), Pitt (37147), Randolph (37151), Richmond (37153), Sampson (37163), Scotland (37165), Swain (37173), Transylvania (37175), Wake (37183), Washington (37187)
OH	Coshocton (39031), Summit (39153)
SC	Aiken (45003), Barnwell (45011), Charleston (45019), Chesterfield (45025), Colleton (45029), Darlington (45031), Dorchester (45035), Florence (45041), Georgetown (45043), Greenville (45045), Pickens (45077), Richland (45079)
TN	Carter (47019), Johnson (47091), Monroe (47123), Sevier (47155), Unicoi (47171)

* Extirpated/possibly extirpated

U.S. Distribution by Watershed (based on available natural heritage records)
Watershed Region	Watershed Name (Watershed Code)
03	Albemarle (03010205)+, Lower Tar (03020103)+, Pamlico (03020104)+, Upper Neuse (03020201)+, Deep (03030003)+, Upper Cape Fear (03030004)+, Lower Cape Fear (03030005)+, Black (03030006)+, Northeast Cape Fear (03030007)+, Upper Pee Dee (03040104)+, Rocky, North Carolina, (03040105)+, Lower Pee Dee (03040201)+, Lumber (03040203)+, Little Pee Dee (03040204)+, Waccamaw (03040206)+, Carolina Coastal-Sampit (03040207)+, Upper Catawba (03050101)+, Saluda (03050109)+, Congaree (03050110)+, Cooper (03050201)+, Four Hole Swamp (03050206)+, Seneca (03060101)+, Middle Savannah (03060106)+, Lower Ogeechee (03060202)+, Upper Suwannee (03110201)+
04	Little Calumet-Galien (04040001)+, St. Joseph (04050001)+, Cuyahoga (04110002)+
05	Tuscarawas (05040001)+, Muskingum (05040004)+, Eel (05120104)+, Tippecanoe (05120106)+
06	South Fork Holston (06010102)+, Watauga (06010103)+, Upper French Broad (06010105)+, Lower French Broad (06010107)+, Nolichucky (06010108)+, Watts Bar Lake (06010201)+, Tuckasegee (06010203)+, Lower Little Tennessee (06010204)+
07	Kankakee (07120001)+

+ Natural heritage record(s) exist for this watershed
* Extirpated/possibly extirpated

General Description: An unmistakable blackish -rown to black mole with a circle of 22 large fleshy appendages at the tip of the snout; eyes are small but visible; ears are barely evident; sparsely haired tail is constricted at the base; palms of forefeet are about as broad as they are long; head-body length is 100-127 mm; tail length is 56-84 mm; adult mass is 40-85 g (Nowak 1991).
Reproduction Comments: Gestation lasts about 45 days. Parturition occurs in spring or early summer (late March-early August in central New York). Litter size is 3-7, average 5-6. One litter per year. Sexually mature in 10 months. May maintain pair bond throughout the breeding season.
Ecology Comments: Home range probably is about 0.4 ha (Banfield 1974). Density of 4-7 per ha has been recorded for swampland (Hamilton 1931). In New York, 2-3 per ha were found during winter. Gregarious.
Non-Migrant: Y
Locally Migrant: N
Long Distance Migrant: N
Lacustrine Habitat(s): Shallow water
Palustrine Habitat(s): Bog/fen, FORESTED WETLAND, HERBACEOUS WETLAND, Riparian, SCRUB-SHRUB WETLAND
Habitat Comments: Seldom far from bodies of water. Prefers wet soils in flood plains, swamps, meadows, and other openings near water. Good swimmer and diver. May be active in water under ice in winter. More dependent on water in winter when ground is frozen. Occasionally occurs in leaf mold on the floor of dense forests. Tunnels may be shallow or deep and may open at ground surface or under water.

Nest usually is placed in a hummock, under a stump or log, in humus among rotten tree roots, or in other areas above high water, often near a stream.
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore
Immature Food Habits: Invertivore
Food Comments: In some areas eats mainly aquatic invertebrates; benthic prey may constitute entire winter diet. Earthworms are abundant in the diet in some areas (Peterson and Yates 1980). May use an electrical sense to detect prey (Gould et al., 1993, J. Mamm. 74:108-116).
Adult Phenology: Circadian
Immature Phenology: Circadian
Phenology Comments: Active all year. Active day or night; may be more active at night.
Length: 21 centimeters
Weight: 75 grams

Group Name: MOLES

Use Class: Not applicable
Minimum Criteria for an Occurrence: Evidence of historical presence, or current and likely recurring presence, at a given location. Such evidence minimally includes collection or reliable observation and documentation of one or more individuals in appropriate habitat where the species is presumed to be established and breeding.
Separation Barriers: Major rivers; arbitrarily set at rivers wider than 50 meters at low water. However, some moles are relatively strong, active swimmers; most notably the Star-nosed Mole, CONDYLURA CRISTATA.
Separation Distance for Unsuitable Habitat: 1 km
Separation Distance for Suitable Habitat: 3 km
Separation Justification: Although home ranges of moles are relatively small, dispersal distances can be surprisingly large. Maximum documented dispersal distances for young Scapanus townsendii were 0.72 kilometers (males) and 0.86 kilometers (females) (see Carraway et al. 1993). Some dispersers crossed roads, but dispersal distance was largest in suitable habitat. Since documented distances surely underestimate actual dispersal patterns, these data suggest that the separation distance for suitable habitat should be greater than 1 km. Despite the fossorial habits of moles, it seems unlikely that locations separated by a gap of less than a few kilometers of suitable habitat would represent independent occurrences over the long term.

Home ranges: for SCAPANUS ORARIUS, average for males 0.12 hectares, average for females 0.15 to 0.35 hectares (Hartman and Yates 1985); for CONDYLURA CRISTATA, about 0.4 hectares (Nowak 1991).

Date: 10Sep2004
Author: Hammerson, G. and S. Cannings

Justification: Use the Generic Element Occurrence Rank Specifications (2008).
Key for Ranking Species Element Occurrences Using the Generic Approach (2008).

Element Ecology & Life History Edition Date: 27Apr1995
Element Ecology & Life History Author(s): Hammerson, G.

Zoological data developed by NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs (see Local Programs) and other contributors and cooperators (see Sources).

Aquin, P. 1999. Évaluation de la situation des groupes taxonomiques des mammifères du Québec. Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune. 5 pages.

Baker, R. H. 1983. Michigan mammals. Michigan State University Press. 642 pp.

Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp.

Carraway, L. N., L. F. Alexander, and B. J. Verts. 1993. SCAPANUS TOWNSENDII. Mammalian Species 434:1-7.

Godin, A. J. 1977. Wild mammals of New England. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 304 pp.

Gorman, M. L., and R. D. Stone. 1990. The natural history of moles. Cornell Univ. Press. 208 pp.

Hallett, J. G. 1978. Parascalops breweri. Mammalian Species 98. 4 pp

Hamilton, W.J. 1931. Habits of the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) Jour. Mamm. 12(4):345-355

Hartman, G. D., and T. L. Yates. 1985. SCAPANUS ORARIUS. American Society Mammalogists, Mammalian Species No. 253:1-5.

Jackson, H. H. T. 1915. A review of the American moles. North American Fauna 38:1-100.

Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23.

NatureServe et ses centres de données sur la conservation. 1994 -. Banque de données centrale NatureServe, active depuis 1994. Arlington, Virginie, USA.

Nowak, R. M. 1991. Walker's mammals of the world. Fifth edition. Vols. I and II. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. 1629 pp.

Parks Canada. 2000. Vertebrate Species Database. Ecosystems Branch, 25 Eddy St., Hull, PQ, K1A 0M5.

Peterson, K. E., and T. L. Yates. 1980. CONDYLURA CRISTATA. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 129:1-4.

Roy, Réjean. 2002. Illustrations dans Desrosiers, N., R. Morin et J. Jutras. Atlas des micormammifères du Québec. 92 pages.

Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Second Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.

van Zyll de Jong, C.G. 1983. Handbook of Canadian mammals. 1. Marsupials and insectivores. National Museum of Natural Sciences, National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Canada. 210 pp.

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Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family	Genus
Animalia	Craniata	Mammalia	Soricomorpha	Talpidae	Condylura


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