The mole is considered one of the strange and interesting organisms that live in some remote areas around the world. It is distinguished by its unique appearance and strange behavior, which makes it the focus of attention of many scientists and researchers. It is also considered a nocturnal animal with exceptional abilities that make it able to adapt to harsh environments.
There are many types of moles around the world, making them the subject of continuous studies and research to understand their behavior and environment, as they are considered an important part of the biological diversity in nature, and play a vital role in the balance of the ecosystem.
By studying and understanding these strange creatures, we can discover more about nature’s amazing wonders and secrets. Follow this article with us to discover all the information about this distinctive creature.
In this article in TekeTrek Website, we will introduce you to the most important information related to this object. Follow along with us.
About the mole
- The mole is a type of mammal that feeds on insects. It is a type of rodent that lives in the soil. It is found abundantly in agricultural lands, swamps, and high areas.
- The mole has small eyes, broad shovel-like hands, and strong shoulders. It does not have external ears and is distinguished by its high swimming ability. In addition, it is characterized by the presence of strong fangs designed to dig the ground and feed on roots and seeds.
Its most important types are
- The American type or shrew: It is characterized by its small size and short tail.
- Russian desman: It is considered one of the largest types of this species. It is an amphibious animal that lives underground and searches for its food in the water, because it has waterproof nostrils and ears.
- Star-nosed: So, called because of its star-like shape, this species lives in deep tunnels under the surface of the earth, and searches for its food in the water.
- The Eastern Mole: Native to Pennsylvania in America, it is distinguished by the shape of its pointed nose and bald head.
- Golden Mole: Found in South Africa, it is distinguished by its thick fur covering its body, in addition to its golden color.
Mole Characteristics
The mole is an animal belonging to the mammal family, specifically the talpids, with around 10 species distributed globally. It is a creature that enjoys digging the soil and creating large tunnels and intricate paths, spending most of its life underground. The mole’s body length ranges from 8.5 to 22 cm, and its weight is about 14 grams, though its size and weight vary depending on the species. The mole has a cylindrical body shape, and one of its characteristics is that it is blind, possessing very small eyes, with strong shoulders and wide, shovel-like hands that assist in tunnel digging and gliding through them. Moles do not have ears and rely heavily on touch, and they are good swimmers.
As for the mole’s social life, it lives alone or isolated, residing in a central chamber with a diameter of 10 cm, and there are two other connecting passages.
Additionally, the mole is blind because its eyes are extremely small and covered by a layer of skin. It does not have enlarged front claws and does not use its forearms for digging. Instead, it digs tunnels using its strong, detached cutting tools. Despite being blind, the mole’s nose plays a significant role in its adaptation to the environment.
How the Mole Lives
The mole spends its life inside tunnels, creating wide paths for itself, and relies on invertebrates for food. It primarily eats insects such as flies, larvae, and earthworms. The mole catches its prey by digging into the soil. A mole weighing 80 grams consumes approximately 50 grams of earthworms daily, so it eats large amounts of insects daily. The mole has short black fur, short forelimbs with large claws, and a pink nose. It spends most of its life in tunnels and rarely appears on the surface. The average lifespan of a mole is three years but can extend up to six years.
The mole lives in isolated environments, and some people think of it as a solitary animal, interacting only with females during the mating season, which occurs in winter and lasts for about 42 days. The male then creates a round-shaped room inside the tunnel and fills it with dry grass for raising young. A female mole gives birth to two to four babies, which are born without fur and covered in a thin membrane. After 14 days, fur starts appearing, and the babies are weaned after five weeks. They leave the nest after 33 days, and they sexually mature in their second year during spring. The mole’s life cycle lasts about three years.
Where Do Moles Live?
Moles are underground creatures found across all continents except South America and Antarctica, due to the extremely cold temperatures and widespread snow. They prefer living in various environments with moderate temperatures, such as gardens, grasslands, meadows, sandy dunes, urban areas, and forested lands. All these areas have suitable soil for digging and living in tunnels, though they do not prefer certain types of soil, like acidic soil found in mountainous areas. Therefore, it is rare to find moles in those regions.
Moles are found in Asia, Europe, and America, such as the European mole, and there are other species like the star-nosed mole, which has fleshy, star-like protrusions on its nose that help it detect scents. This species lives in groups near marshy areas and enjoys swimming in water. Golden moles are found in Central Africa and South America; they differ mainly in fur color, which is golden, and their forelimbs have a side joint, unlike regular moles, whose forelimbs are oriented forward. These golden moles do not make complex tunnels but prefer simpler ones.
Mole Tunnels
Moles dig through the soil and discard the excess earth in piles on the surface, making it easier to locate their burrows. A mole’s tunnel system is quite complex, with several chambers. Moles build rooms inside their tunnels for birthing and caring for their young. They also use tunnels for hunting prey and racing with others. Moles store food in chambers within their tunnels, as they spend most of their time underground. It is estimated that a mole can store up to 470 earthworms in its food chambers. The tunnels they dig range from 20 to 60 cm deep, with a diameter of about 5 cm. Thus, moles spend most of their lives digging tunnels and searching for food.
What are the most important harms of moles?
Moles are considered harmful in some cases, especially when they destroy crops or attack livestock. Here are some of the damages that a mole may cause:
1. Destruction of crops: The mole can destroy crops such as agricultural fields and orchards when it searches for food.
2. Catching pets: Moles may attack pets such as chickens and rabbits, causing losses to their owners.
3. Transmission of diseases: A mole can be a carrier of many infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans or other animals.
4. Vandalizing property: A mole can cause vandalism to property such as cars or buildings when it uses its sharp nails to climb.
It should be noted that the mole has a role in the environment and natural balance, but when it causes significant damage, measures can be taken to control its numbers and reduce its impact on society and the environment.
What are the benefits of mole for the environment and ecosystem?
There are many advantages that the mole offers to its environment, here are the most important:
- It helps regulate the numbers of insects and rodents in the environment, reducing the effects of agricultural pests.
- It contributes to reducing the spread of infectious diseases by cleaning rotten corpses and preventing the proliferation of bacteria and parasites.
- It improves the quality of the soil through its secretions that contain nutrients that help nourish the soil.
- It has an effective role in improving soil aeration as it digs tunnels and helps improve plant growth.
- It encourages wildlife diversity in the area through its role in the food chain.
- It contributes to reducing the accumulation of decomposed organic materials in the environment and helps clean it.
- It contributes to preventing the spread of unpleasant odors from rotten corpses by cleaning them.
- It is considered an important source of food for predatory birds and large mammals.
- It contributes to recycling organic materials in the environment and converting them into nutrients for other organisms.
- It is considered a factor influencing the balance and health of the ecosystem in general.
The Mole’s Sense of Touch
Despite being blind, the mole is a highly intelligent animal that relies on other senses such as touch and smell. It can detect the movement of insects and quickly eat them within a quarter of a second, demonstrating its awareness of its surroundings. The mole has a strong sense of smell, even underwater, which helps it identify its tunnel, as each tunnel has a unique scent.
The mole doesn’t need vision because it spends most of its life in the dark underground. It relies on its sense of smell for hunting and touch, with the ability to touch 10 to 12 spots in just one second. Each touch sends a vast amount of information to the mole’s brain, enabling quick decisions for hunting, attacking, or escaping from predators. The mole’s sense of touch is much more developed than humans’ tactile sensors, and most of its touch sensors are located in its small nose, which is about the size of a fingertip.
Moles in Nature
Moles play a significant role in nature by maintaining ecological balance. They help aerate the soil, eliminate harmful insects, and improve the transfer of organic material into the soil, making it more fertile for plant growth. Despite these benefits, moles can cause damage by destroying agricultural fields, golf courses, and gardens due to their digging, which can harm plant roots and crops. Some species can also carry parasitic diseases that can spread to other animals through bites, posing a risk to other wildlife.
FAQs about moles?
- Who is the enemy of the mole?
Man is considered an enemy of the mole, as he hunts it and sets traps for it to get its skin.
- What does a mole do in the ground?
The mole works to aerate the soil and agricultural lands, in addition to its role in eating larvae that are harmful to crops.
- Who is the blind animal?
The naked mole rat is a blind animal.
- How tall and heavy is the mole?
The length and weight of the mole depends on its type. Its length ranges from 5 to 22 cm, and its weight ranges from 72 to 128 grams.
- What is the weak sense of the mole?
The mole is a nocturnal mammal, and therefore its sense of sight is relatively weak, as its eyes have small iris and therefore it cannot see clearly in daylight.
Instead, the mole has a keen sense of smell that helps it detect food and find mating partners, in addition to having sensitive ears that help it hear sounds in the dark.
- Does the mole give birth or lay eggs?
The mole belongs to the family of egg-laying mammals, where it lays eggs without giving birth and breastfeeding its young.
- What are the most important characteristics of a mole?
It has black fur covering its body, short front limbs with large claws in order to defend itself against dangers, a pink nose, and small eyes.
- What is the food of a mole?
The mole is characterized by its voracious appetite for food, and its food depends on invertebrates, especially worms such as earthworms. Its main food is small insect larvae in the summer and worms in the cold winters. It stores a quantity of worms in the winter in special rooms and then freezes them with a bite in the head.
- Is the mole active at night or during the day??
The mole is active throughout the day, as it makes no difference between day and night.
- What kind of animal is a mole?
Moles are small mammals.
Ultimately, it can be said that moles are an essential part of the ecosystem, providing many benefits to the environment and wildlife. We must care about protecting this small organism and benefit from its important role in improving the environment and maintaining biological balance.
Let us work together to preserve moles and preserve the diversity of living organisms in our environment, to ensure the continuity of life on our planet
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