A mole is an animal that belongs to the class of mammals, the subclass of animals, the infraclass placental, the superorder of laurasiotheria, the order of insectivores, the suborder of shrews, the family of moles, or moles (lat. Talpidae).
The name "mole" literally means "digger". The word was transformed from krъtъ, derived from the stem krъ – “dig, dig”. In Slavic languages, the name of the animal sounds the same: in Polish - kret, in Bulgarian - krt, in Slovenian - krt. The German name Schermaus means "digging mouse".
Mole - description, structure, photo. What does a mole look like?
Moles are small mammals. The smallest of them is the Sichuan shrew mole (lat. Uropsilus soricipes), a representative of the subfamily Uropsilinae. The length of its body is 6-7 cm, the length of the tail reaches 6.5 cm, and the weight does not exceed 10-15 g. The largest mole is the big moger (Ussuri moger) (lat. Mogera robusta), which belongs to the subfamily Talpinae. It reaches 21 cm in length and weighs up to 300 g.
big mohera
All moles from the subfamily of moles (lat. Talpinae) have characteristic features that allow them to lead an underground lifestyle. Individuals belonging to the subfamily Uropsilinae do not have these features.
By the way, the desman also belongs to the mole family (Talpidae), the subfamily of moles (Talpinae), but the description of this animal is given in a separate article.
The body of moles from the subfamily Talpinae has a bar-like, rounded shape without a pronounced neck. The mole's head is small, tapering towards the nose. The auricles are rudimentary in the form of a skin roller, very rarely they are developed, small, protruding from the hairline. The nose of the mole, extended beyond the lower lip, is a movable proboscis. In addition to vibrissae, long, hard and sensitive hairs, there is no wool on it. The nostrils of animals are located on the sides or directed forward.
The star-nosed mole (lat. Condylura cristata) has soft leather outgrowths in the amount of 22 pieces on its muzzle instead of a nose.
With an underground lifestyle, the eyes of moles have practically lost their functions. They are fully formed but very small, about the size of a poppy seed, and hidden under thick fur. In some cases, the eyes are equipped with a movable eyelid, in others, there are tiny cuts in the skin opposite the eyes. Sometimes such a slot is located only at one eye. In some species, the eyes are completely hidden under the skin, as, for example, in Caucasian moles. They can only be detected with x-rays. Since the eyesight of moles is poorly developed, this is compensated by an excellent sense of smell, touch and hearing.
The mouth of the mole is armed with 34-44 teeth, depending on the species of the individual. The teeth of different species of animals have a different shape. In addition, the mammal may make squeaks or hissing and screeching sounds.
The front five-fingered paws of moles are digging tools. They are clawed, with widened hands like spades, without webbing between the fingers and turned palms outward. The ungual phalanges are bifurcated at the end. The nails are flat and wide. The clavicles are comb-shaped, well developed. The hind limbs are thin, elongated and paw-like. The tail of the mole is mostly short, with vibrissae. Its length varies from 2 to 10 cm.
By the way, moles are good swimmers. They swim even mountain rivers.
The body of moles is covered with thick velvety fur. The hair is located perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body and has core constrictions, due to which the hair easily bends in any direction. This keeps the fur from getting dirty and makes it easier for the animal to move underground. Mole fur color can be dark gray, brown or black, depending on the species, season and habitat.
By the way, a mole can run along its underground passages both head and tail forward, and at the same speed. This is facilitated by the special growth of the hairline and the tail covered with vibrissae.
Representatives of the subfamily Uropsilinae, which includes only one genus - Chinese shrew moles (lat. Uropsilus), differ from other varieties of moles not only in small size, but also in some other features. These animals have a slender body and relatively high limbs. The front paws of the animals are not adapted for digging or swimming. The brushes of these moles are narrow, the ungual phalanges are not bifurcated, the claws are squeezed from the sides. The legs are covered with scales below. The clavicles are narrow and long. The muzzle is pointed, with an elongated scaly proboscis. The nostrils passing in the tubules are separated by a groove. The auricles are well developed. The eyes are small, hidden in thick fur. The tail of these moles is thin, long, reaching the length of the body. The fur is velvety, like that of other moles. The color of the back is dark, brown-brown, the abdomen is dark gray. Externally, these moles are more like shrews.
Mole mole.
The periodic change of fur cover, molting, in moles does not occur 2 times - in spring and autumn, like in many animals, but 3, or even 4 times, since moles molt in summer. This is due to the fact that with constant movement along narrow passages, the fur of the animal is quickly erased. It turns out that the mole completely or partially sheds almost all the time, except for winter. In faded areas, the skin darkens and thickens three times, but the hair in this area is weaker and quickly wiped off.
The first molt of a mammal occurs from April to June. Females molt first, then males. Worn-out winter fur is replaced with new spring fur. In mid-July, in adults, and after them in young ones (for the first time in young animals), a summer molt occurs. Following it, almost without interruption, the autumn molt begins, after which the moles acquire their best appearance. Autumn mole fur is velvety, shiny, black with a silvery coating, very thick and high.
Where do moles live?
Moles are distributed throughout almost all of Europe, including Russia, excluding areas beyond the Arctic Circle. In Asia, they inhabit vast territories: Turkey, Transcaucasia, China, Tibet, Mongolia, Indochina, except for the very south. In North America, moles live in the southeast of Canada, in the USA - on the west coast, in the Eastern and Central states to Mexico in the south. For Russia, a mole is an ordinary resident. In the European part, it is found in large quantities and is found almost everywhere, with the exception of the northern regions located above the Northern Dvina. In the Asian part of Russia, moles live in Western, Central Siberia to Southeastern Transbaikalia, in Altai, in the Sayan Mountains, in the Far East.
The distribution of moles depends on how suitable the soil is for digging, and, most importantly, how many invertebrates they can find in it. Moles prefer soft, moist, loose soil, but do not like wetlands. Their territories are forest clearings, edges, meadows, broad-leaved forests, mixed coniferous-deciduous young stands and agricultural land cultivated by man. Mole habitats are located on flat, hilly terrain or in the mountains, where they rise to alpine meadows. Animals from the subfamily Uropsilinae have risen above others: they are found at altitudes up to 4500 m. As for habitats, the mole does not live in arid and hot zones of deserts and semi-deserts, as well as in frozen tundras and forest tundras. Along river valleys, animals spread north to the middle taiga and descend to the southern dry steppes. On the habitat, the mole creates a complex system of holes, passages, and burrows. Some of them serve as housing. The mole forms the main moves, looking for food.
Mole lifestyle.
The life of a mole takes place in dark labyrinths that lie underground at different depths. Mammals dig the ground with their large, twisted front paws, rotating around the axis of the body. If the soil is soft, loose, moist, then the mole breaks through passages 2-5 cm from the surface of the earth. The soil above the moves rises in the form of a roller. At the same time, the mole does not throw out the earth. If the earth is dry, the passages are dug at a depth of 10-50 cm and deeper (up to a meter), while the excess earth is thrown into the pits. In this case, a characteristic type of heaps, molehills are formed on the surface. From such piles, formed in the course of digging a tunnel by a mole, one can determine its direction. Under forest paths, moles break through deeper tunnels, which connect the most complex near-surface labyrinths of passages.
Nests of female moles are arranged at a depth of 1.5-2 meters: under stumps, stones or tree roots, less often in open areas, creating a system of tunnels consisting of circular and radial passages. The molehill above the nesting chamber is especially high - up to 70-80 cm in height. A mole's nest is a small depression that may be lined with grass. The mole roams around the area of \u200b\u200bresidence, this is due to the search for the optimal place of existence. In the spring, during floods and snowmelt, the animals move to the hills, in the summer, as the soil dries up, they descend to the lowlands. The maximum habitat area of an adult individual does not exceed 50 hectares. For breeding, the area is 1250 ha. Moles remain within their site all their lives. In spring, males significantly expand their possessions, moving in search of a reproductive female. In hot and dry weather, moles can move away from their territories for considerable distances, going to rivers for drinking.
Moles are very quarrelsome and grumpy. They live alone, uniting in pairs only to produce offspring. The exception is the star-nosed (lat. Condylura cristata), which can live with the female all winter. Young moles caress each other, squeak like chickens, and when they grow up, they become pugnacious, especially males. Adults do not get along together. Moles are even able to bite and eat a relative, leaving only a skin from him. By the way, in captivity they are very willing to eat the meat of their own kind. Due to the quarrelsome character, young moles are very active, mastering the territory for their residence. If one of the moles dies or falls into a trap, its neighbors quickly notice this and take away the system of tunnels mastered by the animal. Moles mark their territories by secreting a special secret that accumulates on the fur of the abdomen. If an animal does not mark its possessions regularly, then other individuals understand that this area is empty.
Do moles hibernate in winter?
In winter, moles do not hibernate, as they are very voracious and cannot go without food for a long time. In winter, they make moves under the snow in leafy litter or dry grass.
What do moles eat?
The vast majority of moles feed on earthworms. In second place are insects living in the ground and their larvae, such as wireworms (larvae of click beetles), weevils, larvae (including) and scoop caterpillars. Many moles eat slugs. Starfish (lat. Condylura cristata) eat aquatic inhabitants: small crustaceans, aquatic insects and fish. Mogers include different species in their diet. Scapanus moles and American shrew moles partly eat plant foods.
Moles eat 5-6 times a day. After each meal, the animal tucks its head and hind legs under the abdomen, taking the form of a fluffy ball, and falls asleep for about 4 hours. It is during this period of time that food is digested. At one time, the animal can eat about 20-22 g of earthworms, and 50-60 g per day. The mole eats worms whole or torn, starting from the end. With the help of teeth and fingers of the front paws, he squeezes the earth out of them. Moles are able to fast for a maximum of 14 to 17 hours. In summer they eat more food than in winter.
Sometimes moles store food for a period of starvation. In underground mole passages, from 100 to 1000 earthworms can be collected. Moles immobilize them with a bite to the head, and the worms remain alive for some time.
To search for earthworms, moles do not dig new moves every time. They find food in previously made tunnels. Worms themselves crawl into them, attracted by the warmth and smell of musk secreted by the mole. In winter, earthworms are just as active as in summer. They are able to make moves in frozen ground, crawling to the surface. Moles hunt for them, breaking through passages under the snow.
How long does a mole live in nature?
The average life expectancy of a mole in natural conditions reaches 4-6 years.
Types of moles, photos and names.
Below is a brief description of several types of moles.
- common mole, he is European mole (lat. Talpa europaea) belongs to the genus of common moles. The body length of the animal reaches 12-16 cm, weight 55-90 g, tail length 2-4 cm. The eyes of the animal are small, with narrow slits, without moving eyelids and eyelashes. The fur is black with a lighter shade underneath. The color of moles varies from black-gray and black-brown to completely black. Adults have darker fur than juveniles. The offspring appears once a year. European moles live in the forest-meadow zone of Europe, as well as in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, the Urals and Western Siberia.
- Blind mole (small mole) (lat.Talpa caeca) - a representative of the genus of ordinary moles. One of the smallest moles. The length of its body is 8-12 cm, the length of the tail is 2-3 cm. The mole weighs up to 30 g. The eyes of the animal are under the skin. The basis of its nutrition is insects and their larvae. Earthworms are used less frequently than other moles. Reproduction begins in early spring, when there is still snow. Blind moles live in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, Turkey, Northern Iran.
- Long-tailed mole (lat.Scaptonyx fusicaudus) represents the monotypic genus Scaptonyx of the same name. A small animal with a body length of 7.2-9 cm and a weight of up to 12 g. The length of the tail reaches 4.5 cm. The fur is sparse, hard. Long-tailed moles live in the coniferous highland forests of northern Myanmar, southern China and northern Vietnam. Moves dig shallow.
- Caucasian mole (lat.Talpa caucasica) belongs to the genus of common moles. The sizes for representatives of the genus are average: body length 10-14 cm, weight - 40-95 g, tail length 2.5 - 3.2 cm. Females are smaller than males. The color of the fur from bright black after molting eventually changes to brown. The eyes of the mole are subcutaneous. He makes shallow moves: from 5 to 20 cm deep, but can go deep up to 1 meter. The basis of nutrition is earthworms, less often insects and larvae. The offspring brings 1 time per year. The Caucasian mole lives in the southern and central parts of the Ciscaucasia, Transcaucasia and the Greater Caucasus, as well as on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
- Siberian mole (Altai mole) (lat.Talpa altaica) - a species from the genus of ordinary moles. The distribution area of the animal is Western Siberia, the west of Eastern Siberia, southern Transbaikalia, northwest Mongolia. Inhabits forest areas, except for marshes, and river valleys in permafrost regions. In appearance, the animal is similar to the European mole, but has a larger size. Males have a body length of 13.5 to 19.5 cm and a weight of 75-225 g. The body length of females varies from 128 to 171 mm, weight is in the range of 70-145 g. The tail is short, from 17 to 36 mm in length. The eyes of a mole have a movable eyelid. Individuals living in Altai have a darker color: dark brown and black. In the inhabitants of the northern plains, black takes on a smoky hue. There are also albinos, yellow, red and spotted individuals. The Siberian mole eats earthworms and insect larvae. The animal differs from many other varieties of moles in that its pregnancy lasts 9 months: mating occurs in the summer, but the embryos freeze and begin to develop only in the spring. Young growth appears from the end of April to the end of May.
- Japanese shrew mole (mole urotrichus) (lat.Urotrichus talpoides) is the only species of the same genus. Named for its resemblance to a mole and a shrew at the same time. The size of the body of the animal is small: 8-10 cm. The length of the tail covered with hair reaches 3 cm, there is a brush at the tip. The thick and soft fur of these moles is not velvety. It is dark brown or black with a metallic sheen. The animal moves both along long passages, located not deep, and along the very surface of the earth. The Japanese shrew mole climbs on bushes and trees to a height of 2-4 m. In winter, it sometimes settles in empty bird nests and birdhouses. It breeds once a year. This type of mole inhabits the treeless slopes of mountains and volcanoes from the base and up to 2000 m above sea level in the southern islands of Japan.
Taken from: nyandfulworld.blog84.fc2.com
- Japanese mogera (medium mogera) (lat.Mogera wogura) belongs to the genus Moger. The size of the animal reaches 12-15.6 cm. The tail is short: 2-2.4 cm. The body weight is 95-210 g. On the back and sides, the moger's hair is black or dark, brown and gray, the peritoneum is lighter. Sometimes there are buffy spots on the breast, around the front paws and at the bottom of the abdomen. Basically, the Japanese mohera feeds on insect larvae: earthworms take second place in its diet. Japanese mogers live in the southwest of the Japanese archipelago: in the southern part of the island of Honshu, the islands of Shikoku, Kyushu, some islands of the Inland Sea of Japan, the Korea Strait, the East China and Japan Seas. On the mainland, these moles inhabit some of the eastern regions of China, the Korean Peninsula, in Russia - the south of Primorsky Krai. Grasslands and agricultural land where Japanese mogers live can be located at an altitude of up to 1000 m above sea level. These moles build two-level passages: at a depth of 50-70 cm and 1-1.5 m.
Taken from: alcedoatthishin1.blog99.fc2.com
- Starship (starfish) (lat.Condylura cristata) - a mole from the genus Condylura. Its body length is 18.9-21.1 cm. The tail is scaly, up to 8 cm long, covered with sparse hairs. In winter, it thickens to the diameter of a pencil. The star-nosed mole is similar to ordinary moles in the structure of the front paws, the absence of auricles, small eyes (which, by the way, are not hidden under the skin) and thick, even black or dark brown fur. A distinctive feature that predetermined the name of this species is the presence of a star-shaped stigma, consisting of 22 leathery fleshy processes. With the help of these tentacles, the mole looks for food. All of them are mobile, except for the two located at the top in the middle, which are directed forward and do not bend. The star-nosed mole swims well and dives not only in summer, but also in winter under the ice. In water, it eats small aquatic inhabitants and fish, on land - earthworms and mollusks. In addition to water and underground, the starfish also leads a terrestrial lifestyle, moving on the ground or snow. On the surface, these animals can even build nests, placing them in rotted stumps or foliage deposits. Sometimes they settle in the walls of muskrat huts. Animals prefer moist soils. They settle in meadows and forests, along the banks of streams and near swamps. Star-noses live in the southeastern regions of Canada and in the southeastern states of the United States from the southern part of Labrador to North Carolina.
How do moles breed?
The intensity and duration of the mole breeding season depends on climatic conditions and the quality of habitats. The timing of the appearance of young animals are stretched. The rut starts from the end of March. Young females start breeding later than adults. For mating, moles come to the surface.
According to various sources, the pregnancy of animals lasts from 30 to 60 days, and the Siberian (Altai) mole (lat. Talpa altaica) produces offspring after 9 months. From the end of April, cubs begin to appear. They are born naked and blind, in numbers from 3 to 10 pieces. Moles usually have one offspring per year. Some species, such as the large moger (lat. Mogera robusta), bring offspring 2 times a year. Young growth grows quickly and by the month already reaches the size of adults. Females become sexually mature after a year, in some species - after a few months.
Taken from: photos1.blogger.com
Enemies of moles in nature.
Moles have few enemies. During the spring floods, birds of prey can catch them. They are prey for martens, raccoon dogs, wild boars. Moles die from drought or excessive waterlogging. Often the cause of the death of animals is a person who destroys them intentionally or accidentally.
Keeping moles at home.
Keeping moles at home is not recommended. This is a tedious job. Preparing a place for them to live is quite difficult. In a small box, the earth quickly becomes dirty and damp. An animal in such conditions is prone to disease. If you replace the earth with other fillers, the moles will be deprived of physical activity, not performing the usual earthworks, and will die from obesity. Feeding a mole in captivity is quite difficult. In addition, the animals are very sensitive to various sounds and vibrations that cause them stress.
Economic importance of moles.
Moles are mammals that have beautiful velvety fur. Their skins, although small, are strong and suitable for making outerwear. Mole fur coats are not the warmest, but wearable and beautiful. Their cost is high. From the 1920s to the 1980s, mole fishing existed in the Soviet Union. In fur harvesting, the mole took the 6th place in the country, and in some regions - the first, for example, in the Urals and in the middle regions of the European part of the country. In large quantities, mole skins were harvested in the North-West region. Currently, this fishery has lost its economic importance and continues only in small quantities.
The benefits and harms of moles.
Many believe that moles eat plants or gnaw their roots. This opinion is wrong. These animals, on the contrary, are beneficial in that they destroy harmful insects, their pupae and larvae, as well as slugs, which feed on leaves, stems and flowers. The mole eats such pests as the wireworm, the Maybug and the bear. In addition, moles loosen the soil, arranging a drainage system, which is also useful for the garden. But if moles breed on the site, then the benefit will turn into harm. In large numbers, these animals can cause significant damage to the agricultural area. They tear up flower beds, lawns, paths and undermine the roots of plants. In addition, their main food is earthworms, which are very useful for soil formation.
“I heard fuss underground,
A mole crawled out of a mink, a blind monk ... "
The mole is a small, palm-sized insectivorous mammal. The animal is not rare. Lives preferably in places where loose, fertile soil. The mole spends almost its entire life underground, in deep burrows and passages, so its life is mysterious and inaccessible for observation. Rarely, but it is possible to see an underground inhabitant. And it is immediately clear that it is adapted exclusively for underground life.
Two very large forepaws-shovels are designed for digging the earth. And also the nose, very sensitive to smells, is intended for rough work - the mole bores the ground with its nose, rows with its paws like an excavator and pushes it back. Penetration speed - 30 cm per minute.
Eyes and ears are closed with folds of skin and hidden in wool to avoid clogging with earth. The mole's fur lies in any direction in the same way, and the mole successfully uses the "reverse". The mole has a tail. While moving, the tail indicates the height of the tunnel.
The underground animal has very poor eyesight. The eyes are very small, but if necessary, the eyeball extends, and the mole can see, well, at least what is outside - night or day.
Having chosen a suitable place to live, the mole equips it well. He has a place where he rests and sleeps, a gallery of passages, hunting grounds and pantries. Mole hunting is hard physical labor, relentless digging of the earth in search of food.
The mole does not recognize anything but meat and eats a lot of it every day - as much as he weighs. He eats everything he meets during the tunneling - insects, their larvae, beetles, bears. But the main food is earthworms. He eats them with preliminary processing - he grabs them with his teeth and stretches them through the clawed comb of the front paw, cleaning the surface of the prey.
Hunting goes on day and night. Twenty-four hours of the day are divided at the mole only for the time of hunting and rest. He should eat every four hours. Twelve hours without food is the limit, meaning death. For this reason, moles do not hibernate for the winter, since in winter they find enough food underground.
However, there is less prey in winter, so since autumn, animals have been intensively stockpiling. Around the "bedroom" he has warehouses everywhere. To prevent the prey from spreading, the mole disfigures it, leaving, however, alive.
Occasionally, going to the surface of the earth, a mole can catch a field mouse, a lizard, a frog, and steal a chick from the nest. In search of prey, very fine hearing, smell and touch replace poor eyesight for the mole.
The animal not only eats a lot, but also drinks a lot. One of the tunnels of its labyrinths certainly leads to a river, a pond, at least to a puddle. If there are none, the mole digs deep vertical shafts-wells. Water often floods during rains, but the underground dweller swims well.
The mole is not a accommodating, grumpy, quarrelsome, bloodthirsty creature. He doesn't have friends. He lives as a hermit and does not tolerate anyone in his possessions, especially relatives. He meets the enemy in battle.
Without the caresses inherent in many animals, moles form a gloomy family union and give birth to four or five completely helpless, naked, blind moles. The mole feeds them with her milk.
In nature, the mole has many enemies: foxes, martens, hedgehogs, owls, storks, crows and other predators. Due to the fact that their gray velvety skins turned out to be fragile for fur coats and hats, a person was not included in the list of enemies of the mole.
Moles not only harm farmland, but also bring certain benefits: they destroy the bear, the larvae of the May beetles, and slugs.
Valentina Lisitsina. Epoch Times
Mole - what do we know about this animal? Some people have an opinion about the mole according to the famous Czechoslovak cartoons, where he is so small, defenseless and good-natured, doing only good deeds. Others have the cartoon “Thumbelina”, where the “wealthy mole” is a kind of underground Gobsek, imposing, lazy, greedy ... And I won’t be mistaken if I say that 99% of people have never seen a living mole, and they think that this is such an underground mouse . Although almost all gardeners saw the results of his work.
People far from the garden and the garden believe that the mole is common throughout Belarus. From dressed mole skins (which, by the way, are stronger than rabbit and hare skins), you can make children's and adult fur coats, hats, collars, etc.
Moles are beneficial: they eat the larvae of pests of agricultural crops - May beetles, click beetles and others; laying underground passages, they loosen, mix the soil layers, and this enhances the penetration of air and moisture into them, and helps to increase fertility.
Moles are no less useful in the forest. Thanks to the passages laid by moles, hardwood seeds that have fallen into the soil germinate earlier than any other vegetation. Thus, favorable conditions are created for the natural regeneration of the forest.
However, the owners of "six acres" know that the mole is attracted by an unusually generous food base, which is based on the first humus producer on the entire planet Earth. He (the mole) exterminates our best assistant at a rate of 80 to 150 grams per day.
As you know, they cause some harm to vegetable gardens, fields, meadows, forest and fruit nurseries. Not eating plant foods, but burrowing shallow from the soil surface, they disrupt the root system of plants. In addition, they dig up heaps of earth, which leads to the clogging of meadows and pastures and makes hay harvesting difficult for machines. Mouse-like rodents use mole passages. What are they turning the lawn into? And how does a gardener feel when he sees that his favorite plant, which has survived the most severe winters, is dying because a mole has undermined it?
Thus, the statement about the usefulness of the mole, to put it mildly, is "far-fetched." It became clear to me that for the right one, you need to know where the mole lives, what it eats, how it breeds, what tools are required to catch it. So what should we know about the mole?
Mole. External Features
The mole belongs to the class of mammals, the order of insectivores, the mole family. In the CIS, there are 6 species of moles with 11 subspecies. All types and subspecies of moles, in general, similar to each other, differ in the size and structure of the teeth, skeleton, and some features of the lifestyle.
The animal, widespread on the territory of Belarus, belongs to the European mole species, subspecies of the South Russian mole (Talpa earopaea brauneri Sattnin). The same mole inhabits Ukraine and Moldova.
The appearance of the mole (Fig. 1) is peculiar, which is associated with its underground lifestyle. A short, thickened, cylindrical body, pointed in front and rounded behind, helps to better move along the courses.
Rice. 1. Common mole (adult animal on the surface of the earth)
Since the mole moves mainly with the help of the front of the body, it is developed much better than the back. Its head is, as it were, drawn into the shoulders, so the external signs of the neck are not noticeable and the body passes into a cone-shaped head, ending in a small mobile proboscis, on the sides of which there are sensitive hairs - vibrissae.
The forelimbs are especially peculiar in the mole. Their feet are wide, shovel-shaped, turned outward, have five fingers, tightly pressed to each other, connected by membranes, with long flattened and strong claws up to 8-9 mm long. Connecting both front paws together, the mole digs the soil and pushes the earth along the sides of its underground dwelling. The hind limbs of the mole are small, weaker than the front ones, their fingers are without membranes and end in long sharp claws.
While eating and breaking through passages, the mole spreads its hind legs wide and rests them against the side walls of the underground channel. The mole has 44 teeth, the upper fangs are well developed. His eyes are the size of a pinhead, poorly developed or completely tightened with skin. There are no auricles, although the auditory openings are covered with a fold, the hearing of the animal is well developed (this is facilitated by the high sound conductivity of the soil). He also has a very good sense of smell. Tactile hairs are scattered throughout the body, and the mole senses the presence of earthworms through a 60 cm layer of soil. A short tail (1.5-2 centimeters), covered with coarse hairs, also helps with touch. Raising the tail up, the mole feels the ceiling of its course. If the hairs stop touching the ground, the animal becomes alert and often returns along its course.
The main differences between individuals of different sexes are: the average length of the male (from the tip of the proboscis to the root of the tail) is 120-190 millimeters, the female is 110-150, and the weight is 95 and 75 grams, respectively.
Young (arrival) moles differ from adults, in addition to size and weight, with a silvery tint of the skin. By autumn, these differences are almost imperceptible. It is easier to distinguish young moles from old ones by gray-black front and hind legs (the legs brighten over time), as well as by pointed teeth (in adults they are more or less erased).
Mole. habitats
On the territory of Belarus, the mole is widely distributed and is found in absolutely all areas, inhabiting a wide variety of places.
The mole lives in meadows (floodplain and upland), forests (young birch forests, deciduous shrubs are more attracted), but prefers edges, clearings, thawed patches, places near roads warmed by the sun, forest clearings, as well as vegetable gardens, greenhouses, gardens, parks settlements , right-of-way and slopes of railways, arable land with cereals and other cultivated plants.
The mole avoids continuous forests, pure spruce forests, pine forests growing on hills with sandy soils, strongly lowered and wetlands and floodplain meadows overgrown with sedge and other grasses with a strong root system.
Thus, the mole most often settles in places rich in humus soil, moderately moist and with enough food (earthworms, larvae, insects).
It is important for him to have earthworms in the upper soil horizons throughout the year. During drought and severe freezing of the soil (if there is not enough snow cover), they sink into its deeper layers and become inaccessible to the mole.
As it decreases, the number of lands inhabited by moles also decreases. The habitat of moles also depends on the amount of precipitation and air temperature. The more significant their fluctuations, the closer the mole moves to the forest, where the soil freezes less in winter and retains moisture longer in summer. In places with rugged relief, moles can avoid a lack of moisture or its excess, moving from lowlands to higherlands, and regulate temperature conditions, moving from better heated southern slopes to northern ones.
Mole. Mole nutrition
In connection with the burrowing activity of the mole, the question of its nutrition has attracted the attention of many scientists in various countries. As a result of a number of studies, it was proved that the mole feeds only on animal food, and the plant residues found in its stomach and intestines either accidentally get stuck to food, or in most cases from the intestines of earthworms eaten by it. Plant residues are not digested and are thrown out. He searches for food by laying new passages and checking old ones. In these passages, earthworms accumulate, which, moving vertically to the soil surface, fall into the mole passage and linger in it, as well as the larvae of various insects. With a lack of this food, moles eat small vertebrates. In captivity, they eat the meat of frogs, rats, etc.
To replenish the energy expended for movement in the ground, the mole is forced to absorb a large amount of food. This is also caused by the fact that the metabolic processes in the mole are much faster than in other mammals. During the day, the mole eats such an amount of food that is equal to or exceeds its own weight (from 80 to 150 grams). If the mole is hungry enough, then he eats the worms immediately on the surface of the earth, and when he is more or less full, he takes his prey to the nearest underground passage and eats it there.
A mole can eat 40 grams of worms within half an hour, while its stomach can hold no more than 20 grams, after 5 hours it is again able to eat the same portion. After saturation, the mole falls into a sleepy state for 3-4 hours, after which it again begins to search for food.
Moles eat earthworms from the head, stretching them between the claws of the front paws. As a result, the worms are cleared of the earth, and the contents of the intestine are squeezed out of them. Moles do not swallow food whole, they gnaw even small insects, with the exception of certain types of earthworms.
In winter, the mole eats less than in summer. This can be explained by its less active burrowing activity and lack of food. Therefore, the weight of moles of both sexes is the smallest in winter.
Moles do not tolerate hunger well. They die 6-13 hours after the digestion of the ingested food, unless a new one arrives.
Moles drink very often. They usually arrange a nesting chamber not far from the water, to which many additional passages are laid. In captivity, moles drink 4-5 times a day. In autumn, they tend to stock up on earthworms for the winter, for this they bite their head ends. As a result, the worms remain alive, but paralyzed. Then the moles fold them in regular rows to the side walls of the passages.
Mole. Mole breeding
In Belarus, the mating season for moles begins shortly after the snow melts. In the western and southern regions, pregnant females begin to come across from April 17, and in the northern regions - from May 5-8. Early and cold spring delays these periods, which entails a prolongation of the mating period, birth dates, feeding of young animals and their resettlement. This leads to the production of a large number of pregnant and lactating females, and consequently, to a general reduction in the number of moles.
The duration of pregnancy of females is 35–40 days. The largest number of pregnant females occurs in May. Most females bring 6 cubs. On average, there are about 5 cubs per female.
Females bring in a year, as a rule, one litter. However, on the territory of Belarus, especially in the western and southern regions, it was found that 20–25% of females bring litters twice. The second, summer, offspring occurs from the end of June to the end of July. Signs of the female that gave the second offspring are well-developed mammary glands, nipples (there are 4 pairs), around which the hairline is wiped. In summer, the female fertility is lower than in spring: about 4 cubs per female.
Feeding of young animals lasts about a month. At this time, females often fall into traps. Young moles live peacefully among themselves, but as they mature, they become pugnacious. At the age of two months, in the middle or end of June, young moles begin to fall into traps, the size of which does not exceed 3/4 of an adult animal. They are already leading independent lives. From the end of June - beginning of July, their mass resettlement begins, which ends by the end of August.
In the first days of settlement, young moles run along the passages at once several pieces together. Often, young moles can be found on the surface of the earth, where they crawl out through holes in passages or molehills. Sometimes it is possible to catch one during the summer in a move in which all moles go in one direction, up to 50 or more specimens, among which up to 75% are young.
Moles settle very quickly, as they run along ready-made passages at a rather high speed - up to 6 m in 1 minute. Research by scientists shows that young moles travel a distance of up to 700 m in 20.5 hours, and adults in 20 minutes - 50 m. Young moles are more inclined to move than adult moles, the latter do not go further than 400 m in 11 months.
When settling, moles encounter small rivers and streams, which they quickly swim across. According to observations, on the Shchors River, a mole swam a distance of more than 30 m in 3 minutes. When swimming, the mole holds its head high above the water and quickly rakes with its front paws from the sides, and with its hind legs right in front of it, while twisting its entire body to the right and left. For the resettlement of moles in Belarus, the railway does not serve as an obstacle either. A nest was found 10 m from the railroad track Baranovichi - Slutsk. Moles even dig passages under the sleepers for many hundreds of meters, and along the embankments the passages stretch for whole kilometers.
The material was prepared by: horticultural specialist Buynovsky O.I.
In the pine forest lived a mole named Creel. In the neighborhood with him lived his friend, the same little mole, his name was Muk. They very rarely climbed to the surface, sticking their heads out of their minks and talking to each other. Here they became clumsy and helpless and did not run far from the minks, because their vision in daylight is almost absent due to the fact that they spend their whole lives in underground passages.
Their mothers were always worried about them and very rarely allowed them to do so.
One day, when Creel stuck his head out of a mink, he was waiting for his friend. a field mouse ran past. She was very curious and when she saw him she asked:
- And who are you? I've never seen anyone like you here.
- I'm a mole Creel, I also never saw such animals as you!
Creel said:
- My mother told me that we are moles and, as everyone knows, we live in the ground to penetrate into the thickness of which we dig holes in a helical shape, screwing into the ground and raking it with our paws.
Our paws are perfectly adapted for this, they have huge curved claws and powerful muscles. Here look.
And he showed her his paw.
The mouse, seeing his long claws, ran away from him and said:
- Wow, how long they are!
- Yes, they are like shoulder blades. With them we dig long passages underground, along which we quickly move.
We are moles, perhaps the most famous animal on earth, which digs holes in its habitats. As you can see, we are small and almost blind hard workers who are able to dig up to hundreds of holes and up to a kilometer of tunnels per day.
“It’s not possible that you could dig such a long hole for yourself in a day?”
- No, not a hole, but a tunnel to it! It's like in the subway, first the tunnel, and then the station. This is our underground kingdom.
We are very famous underground inhabitants of the planet. We are very small, but we are of great use in forests, gardens and orchards. My grandfather told me this story.
The fact that we belong to those inhabitants of the planet who exterminate harmful insects, and we can regulate the mass reproduction of some of their species. The basis of our food is soil invertebrates, among which earthworms occupy a large proportion, soil-living insects and their larvae are eaten by moles in a smaller amount. We destroy the larvae of the May beetle, weevil, cutworm caterpillars and even bears.
There was such a well-known case when, after catching moles in one of the Czech parks, hordes of May beetles appeared there in such numbers that they began to destroy everything that they could eat. Everyone knows that May beetles lay their eggs, from which beetles appear and then fly out in the ground. And we destroy them moles and by this we regulate their number. So that's why the authorities were forced to put moles there again.
Our weight is about 100 grams, length is not more than 20 centimeters in length, covered with even beautiful fur. Here look!
Creel got out of his mink, and showed his beautiful, even and smooth fur in front of the mouse.
- And look at what an elongated movable nose I have, tiny blind eyes, flat wide paws with hefty claws - here's the look of a typical mole.
And to be so beautiful, we are very voracious and can eat up to 20 to 23 kilograms of worms a year. And in order to mine them by swarming their tunnels at a speed of almost five, or even six meters per hour, and this is not enough to get one meter per minute. And then we run along them at a speed of twenty meters per minute. We are a storm of earthworms and other insects.
My grandfather said that compared to other animals of this size, we have twice the amount of blood and twice the amount of hemoglobin in it. This allows us to easily breathe underground, where the oxygen content is very low.
We Moles are perhaps the most famous animal that digs holes in their habitats. We are small and almost blind hard workers capable of making up to a hundred holes and up to a kilometer of tunnels per day.
One mole can build fifty to one hundred heaps a month.
The mouse listened to him with great interest and said:
“Of course, what you told me is interesting to me. But I also know a fairy tale about Thumbelina, which a field mouse wanted to pass off as a mole. Because he was very rich. But he lived underground without seeing the sunlight.
- There are a lot of myths and fairy tales about us, you're right. This is true. But these are fairy tales, but in real life we have to constantly work.
What is it like to live underground? It is difficult to answer this question. You know, man and almost all animals and mammals settled on the surface of the planet, only occasionally delving into its bowels.
We also occasionally need the sun, clean air and at least some space, otherwise we begin to wither. This is true not only for humans, but also for the vast majority of mammals. Even though many of them live in burrows, they hunt and breed outside.
But as you can see, there are exceptions to every rule. We Moles are sure that the sun and space are greatly overrated.
In ancient times, we settled in many regions of the planet, but we prefer to live where the earth is wet and the winters are not too severe.
Our fellow Starbearers, or as they are also called starfish, are the same - small moles, live in the humid regions of Eastern Canada and in the northeastern part of the United States.
We can be found everywhere from Europe to Siberia itself. Our main habitats are the edges of forests, fields, vegetable gardens and orchards. Where the soil is quite soft and pliable.
We do not like only sandy soil in the vicinity of groundwater. But if we have to meet small open reservoirs on our way, we overcome them without much difficulty. Just swimming across them is all.
But seeing us moles is still not easy. On the surface, we almost do not get out.
And a sign that a mole has settled on some piece of land is, of course, the appeared pits and small mounds with earth neatly folded around the edges.
The mouse listened to Creel and asked him:
And how do you live when it's winter. We, for example, prepare food for ourselves for a long winter. Are you also stocking up for winter?
- Of course we do!
Do you think we're just digging the ground and that's it? Of course not!
We are laying numerous passages that have their own system and purpose. These passages are divided by us into residential and stern. We walk along residential areas from the nest to the feeding compartments or to the place of watering. Feeding areas serve as traps for catching the worms that we feed on.
But our main structure is the nest in which we sleep. It is located at a depth of up to two meters in a protected place, under stones, buildings or tree roots. Our nest is very cozy, it is lined with leaves and dry soft grass, as well as feathers and moss, which we find when we climb up.
In this way, all our passages form a well-coordinated system of galleries with passages and aft compartments, so to speak, located very close to the ground. And those holes in the ground that a person sees, in fact, serve only to throw out excess earth.
- So you, like us, work around the circle?
– Of course, it turns out that our year-round diligence and activity persists throughout the year. In winter, we can lay our passages even under the snow, or deeper, where the soil does not freeze through.
Because our constant movement and digging of the earth is the main condition for our survival, because the mole breathes ordinary air, for the same reason we do not settle on clay soils.
Our whole life is spent in the endless digging of holes and the search for food. Our metabolism, or, so to speak, the digestion of food, like other diggers, is prohibitively high. I need to eat as much food per day as I weigh myself. Without food, I can live no more than 15 hours, and then I just die of hunger. This leads to the fact that we not only hunt insects, but also create huge reserves for ourselves.
So it turns out that the main prey, and these are earthworms, as a rule, awaits a terrible fate.
Don't think we're not villains. This is our way of life laid down for us only in order not to perish. And if we die, then, as you understand, May bugs and worms will envelop the whole earth with their presence. And Man can't handle it. Because, destroying them, other inhabitants of the planet may die. Yes, and he himself.
- Yes, you are right, we, too, can die from poison, with which a person would poison bugs and worms!
You are probably going to tell me now how you stock up for the winter?
- Well, yes! If you are interested?
- Of course, interesting, but a little scary!
“But if you’re scared, I won’t do it!”
- No, I'm interested. I need to know this too!
- Then listen!
At the same time, we Moles take advantage of the fact that it is not easy to kill a worm. It is long and very slippery. But we have a trick for this, we bite through his head, these we immobilize him, and take him to our underground warehouse.
We have up to several hundred of these paralyzed worms in our warehouses, which we eat on hungry winter days.
If earthworms could communicate there, surely we moles in their stories would appear as the most terrible of the monsters. But the worms that are there are not given this. They all have bitten heads.
Of course it's cruel to them! But nature has not given us other life and the extraction of food in it for us moles. Everything is interconnected in it.
- Yes, it's sad to hear, but what to do. It really is so given to you by nature!
“And you must have thought that we are all the time eating and hunting for worms and other insects.
Of course not! We are moles, the owners of holes and tunnels are not limited, we get food for ourselves and its storage.
We are self-respecting animals! Because any self-respecting mole digs for himself, and then make a cozy underground nest. In his house, he sleeps off in between feedings.
This house is located at a depth of one and a half to two meters, as a rule, under the roots of a tree, shrub, large stone or human dwelling. That does not allow predators, eager to feast on our carcass, to take us diggers by surprise. As I said, we make our bedroom cozy, while maintaining perfect cleanliness and order there.
I would tell you a lot, but I need to go home.
“You told me a lot about your life, but you never answered my question! Why do moles dig holes?
“I told you that moles also breathe air. The mole, moving underground, pushes the ground apart in such a way that a flat tunnel with an exit upwards remains behind it. The earth that is dug up from time to time is thrown out into the open. The moves are a system of multi-tiered galleries, mostly located parallel to each other. The possessions of one mole can stretch for many hundreds of meters, into which air penetrates through holes in the ground, which the mole breathes.
That's why heaps of loose earth appear. They are like small beds dug by little midgets in the form of us moles. On these beds, in autumn, in forest clearings, birch and pine seeds fly, which, falling on these small loose beds, germinate easily. And then beautiful trees grow from them.
On our website there was a publication about. However, not knowing about the habits of this animal and how it lives in Nature, one can hardly hope for such success, even if all the recommendations are followed. Therefore, in our new article, we decided to tell hunters about how this animal lives in Nature, what habits it has and where you can most often find a mole ...
How do moles live in nature
The mole is born, lives and dies in the ground, coming to the surface only in exceptional cases. Once on the surface of the earth, the animal hobbles helplessly on its twisted legs and seeks to hide underground again at the first opportunity, doing it at high speed. The activity of the mole can be observed throughout the year and this animal does not hibernate.
Mole dwellings
Moles lay complex labyrinths of moves in the ground. The nest of the animal, as a rule, is located under the roots of trees or under hummocks, at a depth of up to 1 meter from the surface, and consists of a round chamber lined with dry grass and moss, and ring tunnels that are connected to the chamber by radial passages. In the nest, the female mole brings the cubs and feeds them.
The nest has communication with a system of permanent and feeding passages. The latter are laid at a depth of 2-5 centimeters and can often be observed in the forest. They look like furrows of somewhat raised earth. It is noteworthy that the mole does not pass through these moves again.
Permanent passages of moles lie deeper, at a depth of 14-20 centimeters, and differ from the stern passages by compacted smooth walls, which indicates that moles often pass through them. Several animals can use these moves. Moreover, in the event of the destruction of any section of such passages, the moles begin to restore them.
In the meadows, the animals can make moves at a greater depth than, say, in the forest. You can find them by discarded heaps of earth - molehills. Mole passages that communicate with each other can be up to several kilometers long. In winter, the animals can make their own moves in the very surface layer of the earth, on its border with a layer of snow, or even in the snow itself.
Mole movement speed
The mole moves with the help of the efforts of the front shoulder girdle. The distribution of musculature is the opposite of what can be observed in terrestrial mammals. Moles make their moves in the ground very quickly. The experts were able to determine that
in clay soil, the speed of movement of this animal is 72 meters per hour, in loam - 81 meters per hour, and in chernozem - 108 meters per hour. In some cases, there is a speed of 2 meters per second, that is, 120 meters per hour.
What affects the number of moles
It is generally accepted that the number of molehills indicates the number of moles in open areas. However, this is not entirely true. It is also believed that moles destroy undergrowth in the forest. But, the number of molehills depends not so much on the number of moles, but on the abundance of soil invertebrates and varies greatly depending on weather conditions. The appearance of a larger number of molehills rather indicates a lack of food. This is also confirmed by experimental studies. Observations show that depending on the season, not only the number of molehills changes, but also their size. So,
the average weight of molehills dug in spring is 2.65 kilograms, in summer molehills - 1.89 kilograms, in autumn - 6.23 kilograms, and in winter - 11.7 kilograms.
It is not difficult for an experienced hunter to determine by the size and strength of the ejection of the earth who was digging a molehill - a male or a female. So, males at a time push out a column of earth 6-7 centimeters high, 120-140 grams of earth, and females - no more than 4 centimeters, up to 80 grams. But if a young mole digs, it can be difficult to determine its gender.
Types of moles
For a long time it was believed that the European mole lives in our latitudes. But later it was found that the moles living in our area can be attributed to 4 species, while the representative of each species differs not only in anatomical features, but also in lifestyle features. The European species of the mole is still the best studied.
Description of the European mole
The fur of the European mole is dark gray, almost black. In older males, a rusty-ocher shade can often be seen in the groin area and on the chest. The size of the female European mole is smaller than the size of the male, her feet are also smaller, and the tail is slightly longer. But these differences are subtle. It is also possible to make a mistake in determining the sex according to external sexual characteristics, since outside the breeding season, the genital opening in the female mole overgrows. It is especially difficult, without sufficient experience, without resorting to an autopsy, to establish the sex of young individuals.
Profitable moles differ from adults not only in size, but also in weight. Their fur has a silvery sheen. But the surest sign of how to identify a young mole is to pay attention to the color of its paws. In summer arrivals, the entire surface of the front and hind legs is black; later, in September-November, black coloration is retained only along the edges of the legs.
Reproduction of the European mole
The female brings, as a rule, only one litter per year. But, sometimes there are more prolific individuals that bring litter 2 times a year. There can be from 1 to 9 cubs in a litter, on average 4–5. The rutting period begins shortly after the snow melts, in late April - early May. The timing of mating depends on the course of spring. Approximately 6 weeks after the start of mating, by the end of May, you can already see the first females giving birth. At the end of pregnancy, females move little and therefore often fall into mole traps. About a month after the appearance of the first lactating females, young moles also begin to come across, which by this time lead an independent lifestyle. Usually, reproduction proceeds smoothly, and the mass movement of young animals begins shortly after the appearance of the first young individuals.
The end of June - the first 2 decades of July is usually the most prey period of the season, and the number of mole skins is the highest at this time.
European moles reach puberty, regardless of whether they are female or male, by the 2nd year of life, and are ready for breeding the next spring after birth.
Moulting European mole
The molt is distinguished by a significant originality. In addition to spring and autumn molts, characteristic of other mammals that do not hibernate, moles also have summer and winter molts.
The spring molt of males usually begins in the first half of May and ends in the second half of June. These dates may shift somewhat, depending on the course of spring. The height of the molt, when the skins are of especially low quality (o), coincides with the flowering time of the bird cherry. Females begin and finish molting earlier than males in spring. With the onset of pregnancy, the spring molt passes rapidly and simultaneously covers the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe skin. Autumn molting usually begins in the first half of September and ends by mid-November.
In summer, the first fur, which replaced the winter one, is replaced by the same part of the skin. On the mole skins that have finished shedding, it is easy to distinguish areas of fresh, darker, with a metallic sheen, fur against the background of the tarnished lighter first summer fur. The yearlings also molt. Despite the bizarreness and variety of patterns of summer molting, a well-known pattern is observed in the distribution of faded areas, most often areas that are more subject to friction when laying passages are shed. In hot and dry summers, when moles have to expend more energy searching for food, dig more and deeper, molting covers a large area, the mezra turns black. Summer molting has a compensatory character. The winter molt has the same character, when the first winter fur on a part of the skin is replaced by the same winter fur.
Enemies of European moles
Moles have few enemies. Mouse-like rodents, shrews, weasels, stoats and other animals most likely simply coexist with moles, using their moves if necessary. Once on the surface of the earth during river floods, moles often become the prey of feathered predators.
Factors influencing the population of European moles
Observations in recent years show convincingly that changes in the number of moles are associated mainly with the presence and availability of earthworms. The latter, in turn, depends on temperature, precipitation and their distribution over the seasons. These changes usually cover vast territories at the same time.
Drought also adversely affects the number of moles, when earthworms descend into the lower soil horizons and become inaccessible to the animal. The drought has a particularly unfavorable effect if it coincides in time with the transition of the young to an independent life. The younger the moles, the more sensitive they are to the lack of food. Those who live in open areas suffer the most. In the lowlands and in the forest, where soil moisture is relatively higher, drought is much less pronounced.
Winters with little snow are also detrimental to moles, when severe frosts are replaced by thaws. With sleet, the number of moles, especially in open areas and in light forests, where temperature fluctuations are sharper, is greatly reduced. Such weather is especially detrimental to moles in cases where the ground freezes deeply before the snow falls. With deep freezing of the soil, the snow that melted during the thaw and refrozen again forms an ice crust, and the water frozen in the passages forms ice plugs.
The most favorable conditions for animals are in forest areas, especially in places with rugged terrain.
The large number of moles in forest areas compared to treeless areas is apparently associated not only with the abundance of soil fauna, but with its vertical migrations during the year. The forest, which softens sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity, creates favorable conditions for conservation in the upper horizons throughout the year. Therefore, the more continental the climate, the more pronounced the attachment of the mole to the forest.
As the aridity of the climate increases, the number of lands inhabited by the mole is reduced.
The increased population density of moles in places with rugged relief is explained by the fact that, moving up and down the slopes for small distances and from the slopes of the southern exposure to the northern ones, they can find the most suitable microclimate options for themselves. Here it is easier for them to avoid a lack or excess of moisture and unfavorable temperature conditions, which is very important for animals with a relatively limited individual area.
The different population density of moles in forests of different types can be explained by the difference in the composition of the soil fauna of invertebrates, especially earthworms, living in this forest community, and their vertical migrations during the year.
The insignificant number of moles in the northern taiga can be explained by the lack of earthworms in heavily podzolized soils. The greatest number of moles in this zone is observed in meadows, forest clearings and along river valleys, which is associated with a significantly higher abundance of worms in cultivated soil varieties.
