Talpa europaea
The Common Mole eats mostly earthworms and a variety of insects. It has a cylindrical body, without a visible neck, and is optimised for life below ground. It is 12–17 cm long with a 2.1–3.2 cm tail; the female weighs 60–90 g, the male 90–115 g. Common Moles have a black, velvety soft, bear-like coat that grows at right angles to the body. This is why they can move just as well both backwards and forward in their tunnels.
The mole has long feeler hairs on its pale red snout and the tip of its tail, as well as spread over the rest of its coat. As the mole travels through its tunnels, it keeps its tail up as a kind of antenna. It has a small pointed snout and very small eyes completely covered by fur; the ears are not visible.
You find Common Moles in fields and meadows, but also in gardens and deciduous woodland; they completely avoid sandy soil. The largest part of their diet comprises earthworms, but they also eat insects, insect larvae, and other invertebrates they encounter in their tunnels. Each individual lives in its own network of tunnels; however, these may be connected to other moles’ tunnels.
Males and females are together only during the mating season. The tunnels can be used by other animals like voles or shrews. Above ground, you occasionally find a dead mole that was killed during a nightly outing. Many predators kill moles but do not consume them—perhaps they do not taste good.
Molehills often lie in a row. Left, JJ; right, LG.
A Common Mole’s system of branching tunnels encompasses different levels and can stretch for 100–200 m. The deepest sections can lie 1 m underground, and these are used particularly during winter, when the Common Mole’s prey withdraws more deeply into the earth. The tunnels are slightly oval, 4 cm high and about 5 cm wide.
Moles shove the earth to the surface with their front feet. PB.
Excess earth is heaped into hills that are found in two rough sizes. The smaller ones are made from excess earth from the tunnel system; the larger ones, fortresses, are sometimes built over an underground nest. The hills will often lie in a row, so you can follow the sequence of tunnels underground.
Common Moles also dig tunnels directly under the surface, which one can see as ridges 4–5 cm high. During this latter process no molehills are created.
Occasionally the mole leaves its underground tunnel system at night to find a new place to live, to look for prey on the surface, or to search for nesting materials or drinking water. When the mole leaves its tunnel, it always does so through a molehill and never through a hole in the side like a vole. It leaves the hole open and closes it only after returning. If a hole hasn’t been closed by daybreak, the mole is either dead or has found new living quarters.
Moles are practically blind. The front legs are powerful digging devices with thick claws. LG.
Tunnels running close to the surface.
The Common Mole’s front feet are turned at an almost 180-degree angle to the body; they are very powerful and perfectly designed for digging. The front foot is enlarged and has an additional bone, giving the impression that the animal has six toes. When the mole moves above ground, it supports itself on the edges of its front feet, and this is why you see the prints of only the tips of the five powerful claws and the extra bone. The footprints lie in the direction of motion, slightly arched and one behind the other.
The hind foot has five toes, each with a claw; the footprint is about 1.5 cm long and 1 cm wide.
