biology

Père David's mole

Père David's mole is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Père David's mole rather than just read about it. In short: Père David's mole (Talpa davidiana) is a mole found in the Middle East, ranging from south-central Turkey east to Kurdistan Province, Iran, although it could also range south into Syria. It is listed as a data deficient species by the IUCN, as little is known about its population or habitat.

Key takeaways

Père David's mole belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Père David's mole to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Père David's mole from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Père David's mole (Talpa davidiana) is a mole found in the Middle East, ranging from south-central Turkey east to Kurdistan Province, Iran, although it could also range south into Syria. It is listed as a data deficient species by the IUCN, as little is known about its population or habitat. The species is named after the zoologist Armand David. As T. streeti, a synonym, it is known as the Persian mole.

Description Père David's mole is a medium-sized mole, 128 millimetres (5.0 in) to 145 millimetres (5.7 in) long with a short tail. It weighs about 34.12 grams (1.204 oz) to 52.87 grams (1.865 oz). The fur is greyish-brown "with a noticeably silvery sheen" and a pink snout.

Taxonomy Père David's mole was first described in 1884 by Alphonse Milne-Edwards, as Scaptochirus davidianus . Milne-Edwards highlighted the small body size, the very short tail and the grey to black fur color as special features. The type specimen he based the description on was male, which Milne-Edwards said was found in the "aux environs d'Akbès, sur les confins de la Syrie et de l'Asie Mineure" ("environs of Akbes, at the border between Syria and Asia minor"). This is often equated with Meidan Ekbis in northern Syria, but due to its altitidue of only around 400 metres (1,300 ft) the region is considered rather unsuitable for the species. Some researchers therefore suspect that the type specimen originally came from higher elevations. Milne-Edwards may also have meant Akbez in the neighbouring province of Hatay, now in Turkey, whose surroundings are considerably more mountainous. The specimen was collected by Father Armand David, after whom the species was named. The species was moved to the genus Talpa in 2001, and Talpa streetorum was synonymized with the species in 2005. T. streetorum was classified as a subspecies until a 2023 genetic analysis, which named a new subspecies T. d. tatvanensis, and split a new species Talpa hakkariensis from T. davidiana based on genetic data. T. d. tatvanensis is distinguished from the nominate subspecies, T. d. davidiana, by its lighter color and broader rostrum.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Père David's mole

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Père David's mole claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Père David's mole before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Père David's mole ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Père David's mole

In research: Père David's mole appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Père David's mole in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Père David's mole is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EDGE species, Fauna of Iran, Fauna of Syria, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Père David's mole outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Père David's mole in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Père David's mole means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Père David's mole out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Père David's mole in simple terms?

Why does Père David's mole matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Père David's mole?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Père David's mole.