Racial characters.—Size small; tail short; foreclaws light and weak as compared to those of gibbsii, with ventral surfaces curved.
Measurements.—Eighty-five specimens (males and females) from Seattle, King County, average: total length, 107.0; length of tail, 35.3; length of hind foot, 15.0.
Distribution.—The lowlands of western Washington. Marginal records are: Mt. Vernon ([Jackson], 1915: 97), Cottage Lake (W.W.D.) and Yacolt (M. V.Z.).
Genus Scapanus Pomel
Moles
Fig. 23. Coast mole (Scapanus orarius orarius) left and Townsend mole (Scapanus townsendii) right; Puyallup. Washington, May, 1914. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by T. H. [Scheffer], No. B-18637.)
Moles are of stocky build and have cylindrical, rounded bodies. The eyes are tiny, nearly concealed in the fur. They have no external ears. The legs are short; the forefeet wide, spadelike, and armed with powerful claws. The fur is erect, not posteriorly directed. The color of the fur is deep bluish or brownish slate. The short, nearly naked tail is pale pink or whitish. Moles of this genus are found only along the Pacific Coast of North America from southern Canada south into Baja California.