European Mole vs Lesser Smoothcap

Talpa europaea compared with Atrichum angustatum

Key Differences

• European Mole is Least Concern while Lesser Smoothcap is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European Mole	Lesser Smoothcap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Bryophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polytrichopsida (Polytrichopsida)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Polytrichales (Polytrichales)
Family	Talpidae	Polytrichaceae
Genus	Talpa	Atrichum
Species	Talpa europaea	Atrichum angustatum

Conservation Status

European Mole

LC — Least Concern

Lesser Smoothcap

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European Mole	Lesser Smoothcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden.

Lesser Smoothcap

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden