Interesting Information About Mole

Moles have a cylindrical and furry body. Earlier they were placed in the insectivora order but later their actual order was identified and therefore they were moved to the soricomorpha order. These pests have adopted subterranean lifestyle and that is why they are found in North America, Asia, andEurope. Their body varies from pink furless to brown furry. They have small eyes and ears which are usually covered with furs. Although moles are burrowing mammals but they also have some aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Most of the species of moles are similar looking and differ in size only. Moles have an omnivorous diet and prefer to eat small invertebrates for survival. Due to their small size they are attacked by eagles, cats, foxes, snakes, etc. Long underground tunnels are their habitats, which they construct quickly. They mostly breed in spring with gestation period of just one month. Read on to collect more amazing details about moles.

Fast Facts 

Scientific Name: Scalopus aquaticus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Soricomorpha
Family: Talpidae
Genus: 12 genera
Infraclass: Eutheria
Shape:  Cylindrical
Diet: Small invertebrate and earthworms
Size: 95 to 180mm
Weight: 65 to 120g
Life Span: Upto 3 years
Natural Habitat: Grassy fields, meadows, pastures, lawns and forest floors
Call: clicking, squeal, chirp
Gestation Period: 30 days
Number of Offspring: 2 to 7

Interesting And Fun Facts About Mole

• During the early modern English era, the moles were known by various names in different languages; such as, mouldywarp (English), maulwürfe (German), muldvarp (Danish), and mullvard (Norweigan). Here, the words mould/ maul/ muld /mull mean soil and warp/ würfe/ varp/ vard mean throw, thus giving single meaning: the one who throws soil.
• Due to convergent evolutions, two of the burrowing species, like, golden moles of southern Africa and marsupial moles of Australia have developed characteristics similar to that of a mole. Although these are not similar to true moles but they are commonly believed to be moles.
• The shovel-like patches on the noses of golden moles and marsupial moles differentiate them from true moles.
• Golden moles and marsupial moles are so much similar in appearance that it becomes very difficult to differentiate them.
• Moles are known for their keen sense of smell. Star nosed mole, one of the species of moles, can detect, catch, kill, and eat their prey within seconds. Courtesy to their sense of smell.
• Moles create a network system of firm-walled tunnels to catch food or escape predators. The network system is only known to the mole living in it.
• Moles are known for constructing special underground larders to store food. When they catch a prey they paralyze it with a toxin present in them and hence they store their food for future use. Researchers have found out thousands of earthworms stored in these larders.
• Moles squeeze out the dirt and soil from an earthworm’s gut before consuming it.
• Studies have found that moles possess high tolerance to carbon-dioxide in comparison to other mammals. They have special cells that help them in reusing the oxygen and survive in areas with less oxygen, especially undergrounds.
• Moles have long curved claws and an overgrown, shovel-shaped wrist bone which they use to dig tunnels.
• Unlike other mammals, they have polydactyl hands, which mean they have an extra thumb next to the regular one.
• Moles need to hunt and eat every few hours otherwise they will die out of starvation; therefore they are diurnal. They sleep for just four hours and for the rest of the time, they dig up holes.
• A mole can run backward as fast as it can run forward. They can do somersault to escape predators or catch food.
• The infants of a mole have closed eyes and naked body with no fur. At about two weeks of age, the fur starts appearing on their body and then after three weeks time, they open their eyes for the first time.
• Moles come out on earth’s surface either to collect the nesting material or to search for a new home.
• Although moles have many similarities to the rodent family but they fall in their own group called talpidea.
• Moles improve the fertility of soil because they aerate and mix the layers of soil by constant digging. It also helps in creating a drainage system for soil. Moles eat up insects and weeds that make soil futile.
• Moles are killed for their fur and for being a nuisance in the garden. They are sometimes entrapped to be thrown away, but moles are very stubborn and they often return back to their burrows.
• Moles have short, yet powerful legs and extremely broad front teeth. They are also very good swimmers.
• Moles can eat food weighing half the weight of their body in one day.
• Star nosed moles are the oddest looking moles because they have ring of bulge around their snouts. They are also known for their semi-aquatic life and use the rings present on their nose to hear sounds inside the water.
• The male mole is called as boar while sow is the name given to female mole. Although they only meet during mating but a group of moles is known as labour of moles or company of moles.
• In order to reduce the severe pest problem in Scotland, Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward-VII of United Kingdom, introduced the fashion of garments made up of mole’s fur. These garments became popular and the requirement for mole’s furs increased.
• In most of the countries, moles are considered as agriculture pests as they pose threat to agricultural machinery, livestock, soil, plants, and crops.
• The various methods adopted by farmers to catch or kill moles are: mole catchers, smoke bombs, calcium carbide, nitrogen gas, cat litter, blood meal, etc.
• Moles are not always harmful to our lawns rather they help in improving the fertility of soil. If you find your lawn or garden overpopulated by moles then call a pest control department and don’t try to touch them as they might be suffering from rabies.