Wild Wednesday - Mole
Moles have short black velvety fur, with spade-like forelimbs with large claws that face towards the rear of the animal, they have a pink snout and tiny eyes.
They can be seen in gardens, grassland, woodland and land growing crops, throughout Britain but not in Ireland. They are present in most habitats where the soil is deep enough to allow for tunnelling.
Most moles don’t live beyond 3 years, but some live up to 6 years. Their main predators are tawny owls and buzzards, stoats, cats and dogs, or are victims of road kill.
Molehills consist of pure loose soil. When moles dig, they push the loosened soil up a shaft to the surface, forming piles of earth. These molehills are easy to spot and indicate the presence of moles. Moles use molehills as a food source, especially for earthworms and insects.
Earthworms are the most important component of the mole’s diet. An 80g mole needs 50g of earthworms per day. Moles also eat many insect larvae particularly in the summer, though earthworms dominate the winter diet. Moles sometimes collect and store their food (earthworms) alive in underground chambers.
Moles spend most of their lives underground in a system of tunnels. Surface tunnels are usually short-lived and occur in newly cultivated fields, in areas of light sandy soil and in very shallow soils, where prey is concentrated just below the surface. These tunnels are deep burrows, which can be hundreds of metres long at varying depths in the soil.
Males and females are solitary for most of the year, occupying their own territory. At the start of the breeding season males enlarge their territories, tunnelling over large areas in search of females. Within this tunnel system they construct one or more nest chambers, lined with a ball of dry plant material, used for sleeping and for raising young.
A litter of 3 or 4 naked babies are born in the spring, with fur starting to grow at 14 days, eyes opening at 22 days and they are weaned at 4-5 weeks. The young start to leave the nest at 33 days, taking place above ground, which can be dangerous.
Moles have no legal protection in the UK and are frequently regarded as pests by farmers, horticulturists and green-keepers. The surface tunnelling in newly planted fields disturbs and may kill plant roots. Mole hills also cause damage to farm machinery and also cause contamination of grass used to make animal feed.
Photo © Minh Hoang Cong