Talpa europaea (Linnaeus 1758, 13cm long) is the extant mole, a small burrowing mammal derived from leaf litter dwelling elephant shrews, like Leptictis, but closer to the elephant shrew, Macroscelides (above). The robust hand, further enlarged with a finger-like centralia that extends like a pteroid along the medial axis, is anchored by huge muscles that arise from the anteriorly displaced scapula. The pelvic girdle is fused to an elongate sacrum. The premaxilla is transverse in Talpa and large canines are present. Tiny postfrontal and postorbital bones produce a circumorbital ring.
Talpa is not related to any of the shrew moles, contra traditional thinking. |
