NPSpecies

High elevation, endemic.

Scapanus townsendii occupies the moist lowland areas west of the Cascade Mountains. S. townsendii, like other moles, is almost exclusively fossorial. It prefers deep loamy soils and is rarely found in sandy soils. Scapanus townsendii occupies the subsurface domain of river floodplains, meadows, hayfields, pastures, residential lawns, prairies, and some fir forests. The Olympic Mountain population, S. townsendii olympicus, resides in an alpine habitat of grasses, sedges, alpine wildflowers, and subalpine fir forests. Park Species Data Source: Patti Happe, Olympic National Park wildlife biologist. Need to conduct genetic analysis to determine subspecies status. Need to consult with Jim Kenagy, Univ. of Washington, Burke Museum, to determine subspecies status and range.