Senkaku mole

The Senkaku mole, also known as the Ryukyu mole, is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It was formerly classified as being the only species in the genus Nesoscaptor. It is endemic to the Uotsuri-jima of the disputed territory of Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyutai Islands. It is most similar to the Insular mole of Taiwan and mainland China.

Ecological threats

Its existence is threatened by habitat loss, due to the introduction of domestic goats in 1978; the goats now number more than 300 on this tiny island. Its conservation status was upgraded to CR in 2010 by the Biodiversity Center of Japan, although the IUCN still considers that current lack of population data prevents an accurate assessment. New population studies have evaluated the species as vulnerable.