- Moles are small mammals found all over the world, except in Antarctica and South America
- They are subterranean mammals, spending most of their time underground
- They build intricate tunnel systems, with molehills being the waste of their tunnelling exploits
- Gardeners, landowners, ground staff and farmers consider them a pest
- They live in mixed woodlands, gardens, grasslands, urban areas – anywhere where they can dig through the soil
- Their tunnels are underground highways
- The tunnels also act as bedrooms and birthing chambers
- Some moles have been known to live in the same tunnels for generations
- They have a kitchen chamber too
- They store worms in the kitchen chamber by biting their heads off
- Moles are loners
- Over one acre, there will only be 3 to 5 moles – and this is considered a lot!
- Moles spend the majority of their time digging tunnels and looking for food
- The moles favourite meal is the earthworm
- They will eat nearly their own body weight in earthworms daily
- The male mole attracts the female by enlarging his bed chamber
- The female mole will give birth to 3 or 4 hairless babies at a time
- Babies start to grow hair when they are a fortnight old
- At 6 weeks old, the pups will leave their mother completely
- Moles live for three years
- They have movement and scent sensors on the end of their snout to detect prey
DIAGNOSIS
Nuisance scale: 8/10 HIGH
If you are a landowner, farmer, equestrian premises, sports club, bowling green or anywhere that relies on the land
Hazard: 2/10 MILD
Do not spread disease but can cause unstable ground in a heavily mole populated area
VITAL STATISTICS
Length: Between 11 and 15cms. They have a short tail that adds 2 to 4cm to their overall length
Weight: Typical weight is between 70 and 120g
Description: They are rotund with a hairless snout, small eyes and no visible ears
INTERESTING FACTS
- They build permanent and temporary tunnels
- Temporary tunnels are usually just under the surface of the soil
- Permanent tunnels are 20 to 30cm below the surface
- The tunnels are usually 5cm in diameter
- They are not blind but do have poor eyesight