Where does the mole live?
The mole is a dungeon animal. He has poorly developed vision, but is well oriented thanks to his sense of smell and hearing. He prefers familiar depth rather than sun and bright light. If by chance a mole gets to the surface, it backs away and tries to get back into its hole.
The mole on the surface: surprised and discouraged.
Lifestyle Features
Moles are predatory animals. They prefer mollusks, bugs, worms and other small animals. Hungry animals may covet small rodents, and angry animals may covet other moles. That is why their constant search for food does not stop.
This kind of nutrition also ensures the rodent’s lifestyle - it builds itself a special home with a place to rest, supplies and various passages.
Ever seen a live mole?
Never happened
Appearance and features
Photo: Animal mole
The main feature of these small animals is the lack of vision. If for humans and other animals the lack of vision is a serious defect, then for moles it is considered the norm and even a necessity. Having normal eyes, these animals simply would not be able to spend almost their entire lives underground. Moles have eyes, but in most species they are additionally protected by a layer of skin.
Not only the organs of vision are completely adapted to underground life. The hearing organs are also adapted to it. Moles do not have ears. This is also not just provided by nature. If there were ears, then too high pressure would form in them. Such pressure would not allow the animal to be in the soil.
Diggers have fur that is very pleasant to the touch. It also has some features that differ from the fur of other animals. The mole fur covering can be easily folded in different directions. This property allows animals to slip into narrow underground tunnels without problems. The color of the fur is usually black, brown or dark gray.
The appearance of moles can be characterized by the following parameters:
- The total length of the animal is about sixteen centimeters. Of this, the body occupies approximately seven centimeters, and the rest is the length of the head and tail.
- The average weight of the animal is fifteen grams. However, representatives of the family of larger sizes are known. For example, scientists came across the Ussuri mogera, whose length is twenty-one centimeters.
- The body shape of this mammal is bar-shaped. Moles have a tiny head and an almost invisible neck. The auricles of most members of the family are undeveloped, while in others they are very small and covered with hair. Animals also have a nose in the form of a small proboscis. It contains sensitive hairs. The nostrils are directed forward.
- The mammal's paws have five toes. They are the main tool for digging long tunnels. The paws are strong and have claws. The hands resemble shovels; they are turned with the palms facing outward. The mole digs tunnels with its front legs, while its hind legs are less strong. They are very thin and resemble the paws of rats.
mole hole
Lifestyle of a mole.
The first visual sign of the appearance of a mole is pyramids made of soil. But this is the “tip of the iceberg”, only a visual sign of the appearance of a pest on the site. By the way the mound looks, you can determine how active the animal is. When the top is dry, the mole is not hungry and has enough food underground.
The area that has become a haven for the mole will soon suffer. The hardworking animal not only builds its course, but also stores for the winter, because it does not hibernate, but simply sinks lower into the ground to eat its goods.
It is interesting that traces of a mole’s activity are often confused with those of a mole rat, an animal so similar and so different.
How a mole digs holes
The structure of the mole's paws allows it to dig the ground. They are like powerful shovels, with their palms facing outwards to make it easier to dig and throw away the earth. The mole has powerful leathery fingers and strong claws. He does not have suitable incisors, so he builds moves like a screw, alternately using his paws like a screw.
Molehills.
Mole Move System
The life and existence of a mole is the process of creating passages and underground tunnels. In the process of developing a new territory, a mole can make a move 50 meters long in one night.
There are two different types of mole holes: feeding and residential.
Feeding - passages of 5-6 cm horizontally directed, which are close to the ground surface. The maximum depth at which such passages take place is 50 cm, only in places where the soil is dry.
The nesting passages are located much deeper, at a depth of about 2 meters. There they not only have a nest, but also a kind of storage facility, where they drag invertebrates that are lured by the smell.
Moles are active even in the coldest season of the year. They can make passages under the snow, where worms and larvae hide much warmer. And under the frozen ground, it makes deeper passages.
Interestingly, moles are very attached to their homes.
Animal affection
Even moving away to a distance of up to 2 km, the mole can return to its site.
Moles love their home
Even moving away to a distance of up to 2 km, the mole can return to its site.
Mole Problems
Mole supplies are often stolen by shrews, weasels, rats and even stoats. Mice and rats can even live temporarily in these dwellings.
Origin of the species and description
Photo: Mole
The mole is a very small animal with tiny eyes and strong paws that have the ability to dig through long underground passages. The eyes of some mole species are securely hidden under the skin. Moles do not have ears; they have smooth, very soft fur. The coat color is usually black, but there are also animals with a dark gray “fur coat”.
Moles are classified as insectivores, which belong to the broad class of mammals. They are part of the mole family - lat. Talpidae. The animals got their name for a reason. Literally, the word “mole” means “digger.” The name comes from the word “dig, dig.”
Video: Mole
These underground inhabitants can make passages hundreds of meters long. Under the soil, the animal arranges a sleeping place for itself and makes special corridors in which it hunts. Moles prefer to spend the night on moss, grass or leaves. They are quite intelligent animals, so a secret passage is always provided in the “bedroom” for retreat in case of danger. The underground passage is covered with bedding.
Interesting fact: Constant movement through narrow earthen passages is reflected in the appearance of the animal. Gradually, the mole wears off its fur, remaining completely bald. However, nature has provided for everything - moles grow a new “coat” 3-4 times a year.
Moles also equip their homes with additional passages to a water source. Some animals create their own underground wells. Wells fill with water during heavy rains. In winter, such animals prefer to hide deep in the ground. At great depths, the earth remains warm and does not freeze.
Harm from a mole
Animal burrows and passages harm plants. But the mole spoils them not by eating them, but by the fact that, as it makes its way, it injures the plants, which may subsequently die. This is where all the harm lies. To preserve the harvest, you can choose the pest protection option that suits you. All of them are described in detail below.
Plants are a safe way to protect your area from moles and other rodents.
Mole traps allow you to catch the pest quickly and easily.
The greenhouse requires protection from moles; they are comfortable there at any time.
Proven methods of controlling moles on the site. Fast and efficient.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Mole wild animal
Representatives of the mole family reproduce once a year.
However, the number of moles and the breeding season differs among different species:
- The Siberian breeds in June. However, offspring appear only a year later, in the spring. On average, pregnancy lasts about two hundred and seventy days. At one time, the female gives birth to no more than six cubs;
- The Caucasian prefers to mate in February, and moles appear in March. No more than three cubs are produced at a time. The brood becomes independent within forty days after birth. Representatives of this species increase their numbers very quickly, because the offspring appear very deep underground. He is in no danger;
- The European mate in the spring - during March and April. Forty days after meeting the male, the female gives birth to moles - about nine individuals at a time. The weight of one cub, as a rule, does not exceed two grams;
- Blind. It breeds in February; the gestation period for the young is one month. The female gives birth to about five individuals at a time.
Interesting fact: The lifespan of a mole depends on its species. On average, members of the family live from three to five years.
Benefits and harms
The settlement of moles on a plot of land is assessed in two ways. In the fields, these creatures loosen the soil, saturate it with oxygen, and increase fertility. However, when there are large numbers of people on earth, they become a real disaster and you have to fight the moles. They damage root crops and grain crops and make harvesting difficult.
There is even more damage from burrows on a small plot of land, in the garden. Gardeners and gardeners try to scare away pests and clean the area. The settlement of moles in the neighborhood helps to scare away mice, get rid of shrews, mole crickets, and May beetles.
Like a mole digs the ground
Engineers, as well as biologists, were interested in how a small animal manages to build such a complex structure. It should be noted that the depth of the mole hole sometimes reaches four meters. For comparison, its dimensions are about twenty centimeters. Do you feel the difference? Its structure can be compared to our high-rise buildings or mines. The animal uses almost all parts of its body for construction. It is equipped with naturally powerful front paws with claws. They are what frighten casual witnesses of his rare appearance on the surface. The animal uses them to scrape away layers of soil. They just need to go somewhere. In order to remove excess “building material”, the animal makes molehills. These are small exits to the surface through which it pushes soil. This is done with the head. When the corridor becomes too long, the animal clogs up the used hole and digs a new one. And a person sees piles of earth on the surface - the results of the mole’s work. You just can't find the entrance there. The animal hides it cunningly enough so as not to be in danger, and to save its offspring.
At what depth do they live?
Still, let's figure out at what depth moles live. The depth of habitat at any time of the year remains almost unchanged - up to 50 cm. It makes no sense for the animal to dig deeper passages because it costs too much energy. After all, at great depths they are no longer able to raise the ceiling of the passage; they have to push the dug up soil with their hind legs to the surface. And the deeper you have to dig, the more problematic it becomes to carry out this titanic work. A deep hole occurs only in one case - when moles arrange a nesting chamber for sleep and rest.
How should the trap be set?
The only way to neutralize a mole and stop its activity on the site is by driving it away or destroying it. The first method does not always help; it happens that the mole stubbornly does not want to leave its home. Then you will have to act differently - set a trap.
Attention! See our rating review of the most effective mole traps based on reviews from gardeners.
Mole passages underground have temporary and permanent uses. The latter are of interest, since the animal uses temporary ones once to feast on worms. It does not compact the walls of the hole; they quickly crumble and there is no point in reusing them.
Why are moles dangerous for crops?
Since moles massively destroy earthworms in the garden, the lack of the latter leads to insufficient loosening of the soil, which negatively affects the development of plants and their productivity.
Some plants die due to the fact that the roots fall into the mole entrance and remain, as it were, hanging in the air, not receiving nutrients.
What's the use
Moles eat mole crickets and beetles in the garden, which are dangerous insect pests. In addition, they feed on voles.
Medvedka
