NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Altai Mole
Talpa altaica Nikolsky, 1883
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Самый крупный вид из рода настоящих кротов проживает в Сибири.
Tarbosaurus 78 · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Altai mole or Siberian mole (Talpa altaica) is a species of mole in the family Talpidae. It is found throughout the taiga zone of south-central Siberia in Russia, as far south as northern Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
This mole lives in forested habitat and feeds mainly on earthworms.
This is a common species. It is sometimes caught for its fur.
Wikipedia contributors, Altai mole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:48:46.498293+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Talpa altaica Nikolsky, 1883
- Name authority
- Nikolsky, 1883
- Common name
- Altai Mole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Talpidae
- Genus
- Talpa
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderEulipotyphla Waddell, Okada & Hasegawa, 1999
- familyTalpidae G. Fischer, 1814
- subfamilyTalpinae G. Fischer, 1814
- tribeTalpini G. Fischer, 1814
- genusTalpa Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesTalpa altaica Nikolsky, 1883
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Talpa. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Caucasian MoleTalpa caucasica Satunin, 1908 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Levant MoleTalpa levantis Thomas, 1906 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ognev's MoleTalpa ognevi Stroganov, 1944 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talysch MoleTalpa talyschensis Vereschchagin, 1945 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talpa transcaucasica Dahl, 1945 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blind MoleTalpa caeca Savi, 1822 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| European MoleTalpa europaea Linnaeus, 1758 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Iberian MoleTalpa occidentalis Cabrera, 1907 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Roman MoleTalpa romana Thomas, 1902 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Balkan MoleTalpa stankovici V. Martino & E. Martino, 1931 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=633849 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:54M2R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.