Eastern Mole vs Shade Moonwort

Scalopus aquaticus compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Eastern Mole is Least Concern while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eastern Mole	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Polypodiopsida (Echte Farne)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Talpidae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Scalopus	Botrychium
Species	Scalopus aquaticus	Botrychium tenebrosum

Conservation Status

Eastern Mole

LC — Least Concern

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eastern Mole	Shade Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eastern Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Shade Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.