The small-toothed mole (''Euroscaptor parvidens'') is a species of

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

in the family

Talpidae The family (biology), family Talpidae () includes the true Mole (animal), moles (as well as the shrew moles and desmans) who are small insectivore, insectivorous mammals of the order (biology), order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all fossorial, diggi ...

. It is found in Di Linh, in southern Vietnam, and Rakho near the border of Vietnam and China, and in southern

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

, China, near the Vietnamese border. It is likely that it has a broader distribution, especially in places between the currently known locations. The small-tooth moles live underground in tunnels. These tunnels are interconnected and complex. The tunnels provide shelter as well as a way to get food. Small-tooth moles eat mostly earthworms and insect larvae. The tunnels create a trap for these two kinds of food for the small-tooth mole. Mostly, these moles do not live in deteriorating habitats like the small-tooth mole, which sets it apart from other moles. The population estimate of the small-tooth mole is unknown. It was classified in 1996 as critically endangered on the list of

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

of Threatened Species, but is now considered

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

. The small-tooth mole is potentially endangered because the required habitat that the animal lives in has quickly deteriorated, grown smaller and remains threatened. The area that small-tooth moles occupy is already limited, without deteriorating land conditions. At this time, there are no measure of conservation in place. In 1990 there was a plan recommended to have field surveyors determine the status of the species of the small-tooth mole, named the ''IUCN/SSC Eurasian Insectivores and Tree Shrews Action Plan''. The studies were inconclusive.

References

Mammals of China Mammals of Vietnam Fauna of Yunnan Euroscaptor Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1940 {{talpidae-stub