en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(animal)
2 corrections found
This means that they share a closer common ancestor with such existing afrosoricids as elephants, manatees and aardvarks than they do with other placental mammals, such as true Talpidae moles.
Elephants, manatees, and aardvarks are not afrosoricids. They are other afrotherian mammals in the orders Proboscidea, Sirenia, and Tubulidentata, respectively.
Full reasoning
This sentence appears to conflate Afrosoricida with the broader superorder Afrotheria.
According to the American Society of Mammalogists' Mammal Diversity Database (MDD), the order Afrosoricida contains the families Chrysochloridae, Potamogalidae, and Tenrecidae—that is, golden moles, otter shrews, and tenrecs. Elephants are placed in Proboscidea, manatees in Sirenia, and aardvarks in Tubulidentata. All of those groups are afrotherians, but they are not afrosoricids.
So the problem is not the broader idea that golden moles are more closely related to elephants/manatees/aardvarks than to true moles; that part follows from afrotherian relationships. The factual error is calling elephants, manatees, and aardvarks "existing afrosoricids".
4 sources
- Mammal Diversity Database - Family
Order Afrosoricida · 3 Family Chrysochloridae Family Potamogalidae Family Tenrecidae. Order Tubulidentata · 1 Family Orycteropodidae. Order Proboscidea · 1 Family Elephantidae. Order Sirenia · 2 Family Dugongidae Family Trichechidae.
- Proboscidea Order
Order Proboscidea ... Family Elephantidae.
- Trichechus manatus • West Indian Manatee
Taxonomy ... Superorder: Afrotheria. Order: Sirenia. Family: Trichechidae.
- Orycteropus afer • Aardvark
Taxonomy ... Superorder: Afrotheria. Order: Tubulidentata. Family: Orycteropodidae.
Genus Mogera: Nine species from Japan, Korea, and eastern China
This species count is outdated. The current Mammal Diversity Database recognizes 10 living species in the genus Mogera, not 9.
Full reasoning
The current authoritative species list for mammals no longer matches this line.
In the American Society of Mammalogists' Mammal Diversity Database (MDD v2.5), Mogera contains 10 species: M. etigo, M. hainana, M. imaizumii, M. insularis, M. kanoana, M. latouchei, M. robusta, M. tokudae, M. uchidai, and M. wogura.
So the article's statement that Mogera has nine species is factually out of date.
2 sources
- Talpidae Family
Genus Mogera · 10 Species Mogera etigo ... Mogera wogura.
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database
Current version: v2.5, released July 28, 2026. Track the latest taxonomic changes to living and recently extinct species and higher taxa of mammals.