Mole Facts

Moles can be found almost all around Europe, Asia, southern Africa and North America.

What Does a Mole Look Like?

The mole does not belong to the mouse family, but to the order of the insectivorous mammals. In other words, moles eat insects.

The mole about as small as a mouse. It has a long snout that can wiggle around, sort of like a pig’s snout. This snout is almost completely hairless, except for a few important stray hairs. These hairs help the mole gather most of his information (sense of touch). Some biologists think that moles have electric and magnetic sensors in their nose to be able to move through their dark world. The mole lives in a sensorial world ruled by smell and touch.

Moles have very small eyes located on the end of its snout, hidden by the fur. The mole’s eyes can only detect light.

Although moles have no external ears that you and I  can see (like most animals), their ears, just a pair of holes covered by the skin (like birds), their hearing is very sharp.

The mole’s head is wide and flat. They have a mouse-like body covered with thick soft, dark (sometimes black) hair. Its hair is very special: each hair is thicker around the middle than at the ends. This protects the mole from the dirt and from the water and also allows it to move freely in its tunnels.

The mole has got strong front legs in the shape of a pair of paddles facing outwards. Its hands are big and have a round shape. Its fingers and nails are strong and prepared to dig into anything.

Its back legs are longer and more simple, similar to a mouse’s. The mole uses them mainly to push itself forward while the front legs are digging.

At the end of its body there is a short tail covered by hard spiky hairs. These hairs, although they are sensitive and can receive information from the vibrations that travel through the ground, are not too important for the mole.

What Does the Mole Eat Earthworms, but it also eats insects and grubs. The mole works so hard at digging most of its waking hours. This work makes him very hungry.  As a matter of fact, the mole cannot spend too many hours without eating. It stores its food close to its cozy winter nest.

HABITS.- It is a known fact that the mole is a solitary animal. They live underground and hardly ever come out. They like light, well drained and slightly humid ground.

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