Mole Introduction

The Mole is a family of small burrowing mammals found in almost every continent (besides Australia and south America). There are around 20 different species of mole found in their natural, earthy environments. Some species of mole are also aquatic or at least semi-aquatic which means that these mole species spend at least some of their time in the water. Moles have long, curved claws which the moles use to burrow underground. Moles can quickly create long tunnels under the surface of the earth and the tunnel entrances can easily be identified by the mounds of earth that appear (normally all over your garden lawn)! These mounds of soil are commonly known as mole hills. Many of the different species of mole are very similar in appearance and range in size from just 2 cm to 2 cm. The oddest exception to this is the star-nosed mole that inhabits parts of Canada and the northeast of the USA. The star-nosed mole can be easily identified by the distinctive star-shaped ending to the star-nosed mole’s snout. Moles are omnivores that primarily feed and hunt earthworms. Moles are known to construct special underground larders in which the mole can store its food. Some of the larger species of mole have also been known to eat small mice. The mole does this by catching the mouse at the entrance to its burrow.