Rare mole found in Japan's Shirakami Mountains

A rare mole^*1 has been found in the Shirakami Mountains for the first time. Hirosaki University, a national university in northern Japan, announced this on September 2, 2026.

The animal is called the Japanese mountain mole. It lives only in Japan. The research^*2 group found it on a walking path near Anmon Falls. Professor Takeyuki Nakamura of the university's Shirakami research center leads the group.

The Shirakami Mountains are in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan. They are a World Heritage site^*3.

There are not many of these moles. Japan's Ministry of the Environment keeps a list of animals and plants that are in danger. On this list, the mole is "near threatened^*4." Aomori Prefecture has its own list. That list says there is not enough information about the mole.

Until now, the mole had been found in only two areas of Aomori. They are the lower parts of the Hakkoda Mountains and of Mount Iwaki. The new place is far to the west of them. So the area where the mole may live in Aomori is now much bigger. The group says the mole may live all over the Shirakami Mountains.

The group wrote a paper^*5 about the mole. It was published at the end of July 2026 in a Japanese science journal^*6 about mammals^*7. The writers are Chie Murano, Takeyuki Nakamura and Hiroki Yamagishi.

1. *1 mole: a small animal with dark fur that lives under the ground
2. *2 research: careful study to find out new things
3. *3 World Heritage site: a very special place that the world has agreed to protect
4. *4 near threatened: not in danger now, but may be in danger of dying out soon
5. *5 paper: a report that scientists write about their study
6. *6 journal: a magazine for scientists' reports
7. *7 mammals: animals that feed their babies with milk, such as dogs, cats and people