MOLES

A common mole never or rarely leaves its burrow. Since its burrows and tunnels are all underground the food supply is plenty. The mole's main food is earthworms, slugs and insect larvae. They all come through the mole's walls, ceiling and floor. The moment a mole will surface, mainly at night, it will be picked up by an owl.

Nature gave the mole very small eyes, tapering snout, sensitive whiskers and nose which help to find its way underground. Its heavily clawed front feet are necessary to dig all these tunnels and burrows. The silky black fur was not to its advantage but to the fur hunters.

The mole is active all year round and lives a solitary life. Except in the spring when it is their mating season. The female gives birth to three or four young ones between April and June. Few moles get as old as three year

The mole's nesting chamber is in a shape of a football. It lines it with grass, and dry leaves. The chamber is slightly dug deeper to the rest of the many tunnels. The tunnels led from the chamber in all direction which is made while searching for food. The burrow system can be up to 200 yd (180 m) long. You will find the longest tunnel in poor soil.

A mole is only 6 in (15 cm) long and because of that constant digging, it has to eat all the time. It can happen, especially if the tunnel is near the surface, that some collapse. These tunnels are not very well constructed. The tunnels are also necessary for ventilation for the chamber to bring a steady supply of fresh air. The mole also breaks through the surface to create more fresh air supply. It rarely cuts across other tunnels and therefore the fresh air comes in through one tunnel and exits the other. Therefore, there is a perfectly constructed fresh air supply.

When moles break through the surface it creates the infamous molehills. Each pile of soil weighs 2 lb (1 kg). Gardeners and farmers thoroughly hate moles because of that and also the tunnels interfere with plant's roots. On the other hand they eat a lot of insect larvae and slugs which could be destructive to plants and also they loosing up the soil.

Hoarding food

A larder of a mole can contain up to a 1000 paralysed worms for the winter to prevent food shortage.  To stop the food going bad, the mole bites the earthworms' head off and this, unbelievable doesn't kill it.  Then with a venomous saliva it paralysis it and stockpiles it.  After that the mole seals up the chamber in its underground.