Talpa fossil map
Where fossils of Talpa have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 23.04 million years ago to the present (Aquitanian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Talpidae |
| Named by | Linnaeus 1758 |
| Fossil records | 490 occurrences at 121 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Italy, Germany, Hungary, France, Romania, Spain, Austria, Greece, Czech Republic, United Kingdom … |
| Rock formations | txn:67887, facies Ă Congeria, Cromer Forest Bed, Reuver clay, Ravin de Ratavoux, Komnina |
About Talpa
Talpa is a genus in the mole family Talpidae. Among the first taxa in science, Carolus Linnaeus used the Latin word for "mole", talpa, in his Regnum Animale to refer to the commonly known European form of mole. The group has since been expanded to include 13 extant species, found primarily in Europe and western Asia. The European mole, found throughout most of Europe, is a member of this genus, as are several species restricted to small ranges. One species, Père David's mole, is data deficient. These moles eat earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates found in the soil.
The females of this genus have rudimentary male features such as Cowper's glands and a two-lobed prostate. A group of scientists has suggested that they are true hermaphrodites; however, others state that they are fully functional females.
There are 14 species in this genus:
Altai mole, T. altaica
Aquitanian mole, T. aquitania
Blind mole, T. caeca
Caucasian mole, T. caucasica
Père David's mole, T. davidiana
European mole, T. europaea
T. hakkariensis GĂĽndĂĽz, DemirtaĹź, SilsĂĽpĂĽr, Ă–zmen, Polly & Bilton, 2023
Levant mole, T. levantis
Martino's mole, T. martinorum
Spanish mole, T. occidentalis
Ognev's mole, T. ognevi
Roman mole, T. romana
Balkan mole, T. stankovici
Talysch mole, T. talyschensis
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Talpa (mammal) (revision 1378057029), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q650143.
