Moles are small mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous eyes and ears, reduced hindlimbs, and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging.
The order Insectivora is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals. Some species have now been moved out, leaving the remaining ones in the order Eulipotyphla within the larger clade Laurasiatheria, which makes up one of the basal clades of placental mammals.
The family Talpidae includes the moles who are small insectivorous mammals of the order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean animals; shrew moles and shrew-like moles somewhat less so; and desmans, while basically aquatic, excavate dry sleeping chambers; whilst the quite unique star-nosed mole is equally adept in the water and underground. Talpids are found across the Northern Hemisphere of Eurasia and North America, and range as far south as the montane regions of tropical Southeast Asia.
The subfamily Talpinae, sometimes called "Old World moles" or "Old World moles and relatives", is one of three subfamilies of the mole family Talpidae, the others being the Scalopinae, or New World moles, and the Uropsilinae, or shrew-like moles.
The shrew moles or shrew-like moles (Uropsilus) are shrew-like members of the mole family of mammals endemic to the forested, high-alpine region bordering China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They possess a long snout, a long slender tail, external ears, and small forefeet unspecialized for burrowing. Although they are similar to shrews in size, external appearance, and, presumably, ecological habits, they are nevertheless talpids and considered true moles, as they share a full zygomatic arch with all other moles, while this arch is completely absent in shrews.
Soricomorpha is a formerly used taxon within the class of mammals. In the past it formed a significant group within the former order Insectivora. However, Insectivora was shown to be polyphyletic and various new orders were split off from it, including Afrosoricida, Macroscelidea, and Erinaceomorpha, with the four remaining extant and recent families of Soricomorpha shown here then being treated as a separate order. Insectivora was left empty and disbanded.
The Japanese mountain mole is a species of Old World mole in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Oreoscaptor. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate grassland.
The Anderson's shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China. Its species name "andersoni" was chosen to honor American scientific collector Malcolm Playfair Anderson.
The gracile shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China; populations known from Myanmar likely represent other species.
The inquisitive shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is only known from Yunnan province of China, although its range is thought to extend over the border into Myanmar.
The Chinese shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, Sichuan Province. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The Japanese shrew mole or himizu (ヒミズ) is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan and is found on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Awaji Island, Shodo Island, Oki Islands, Tsushima Island, Goto Islands, Mishima Island, and Awashima Island, but is absent from Hokkaido, which is north of Blakiston's Line. It is one of three Urotrichini and it is the only extant species in the genus Urotrichus. It is common between sea level and approximately 2,000 m. Sometimes this species is called the greater Japanese shrew mole and another species, True's shrew mole, is called the "lesser Japanese shrew mole".
Urotrichini is a tribe of the mole family, and consists of Japanese and American shrew-moles. They belong to the Old World moles and relatives branch of the mole family (Talpidae). There are only two species, each of which represents its own genus. The name "shrew-moles" refers to their morphological resemblance to shrews, while generally being thought of as "true moles". The species are the Japanese shrew mole, True's shrew mole and American shrew mole.
The Scalopinae, or New World moles, are one of three subfamilies of the family Talpidae, which consists of moles and mole-like animals; the other two subfamilies being the Old World talpids and the Chinese shrew-like moles (Uropsilinae). The Scalopinae are the only Talpidae subfamily to consist entirely of undisputed moles and no mole-like close relatives such as shrew-moles or desmans.
The equivalent-teeth shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Sichuan, China. It is characterized by having nine teeth in the row above and nine teeth in the lower row. The data indicate that it is the sister taxon of U. andersoni. Its specific name, aequodonenia, means 'equivalent teeth' in Latin.
Ognev's mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It occurs in the southeastern coastal area of the Black Sea from northeastern Turkey to Georgia. It inhabits different habitats associated with moist soils in lowland areas. Little information is available about its life history.
The Talysch mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is a small member of the family, which outwardly resembles the Levant mole, but is genetically closer to Père David's mole. It is common on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, from southern of Azerbaijan through most of the north of Iran. The habitat includes temperate rainforests and scrub areas. There is little information about the life history of the Talysch mole. It was described in 1945, but had long been considered a subspecies of various other Eurasian moles, and was only recognized as a distinct species in the mid-2010s. No surveys have been carried out to quantify the status of the species.
The black-backed shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, where it is only known from the vicinity of Mucheng in Yunnan Province.
The Dabie Mountains shrew mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae and genus Uropsilus. It is endemic to Anhui Province in China, where, as its name suggests, it is only known from the Dabie Mountains.
