Mole Biology

Habitat 

Moles live in underground burrows and come to the surface only rarely, often by accident. They prefer to hunt in soil that is shaded, cool, moist, and populated by worms, grubs, and insects. When the season gets very dry, moles often move to areas that are irrigated. 

Areas that have been used for feeding are identified by the volume of short, crooked, tunnels in a concentrated area. Mounds indicate where moles have pushed soil to the surface to clear deep tunnels.  

Eating Habits

Moles consume 70% to 100% of their body weight each day in worms, insects and larvae. The tremendous amount of energy expended in ploughing through soil requires a correspondingly large amount of food.  

Moles can move 540 times their own body weight on earth each day and tunnel up to 30m per day – that is a lot of mess in your garden!
 

Behavior 

Moles are not social. Two or 3 moles may be trapped at the same spot, but that does not necessarily mean they had been living together in a burrow. Networks of runways that were independently made occasionally join separate burrows. They do not hibernate and are active during all seasons. Moles are most active when they are finding food during periods of rain in the late spring and early summer. 

In a domestic garden the damage is often the work of just one or two moles.


Reproduction 

The gestation period of moles is approximately 42 days. A litter of 3 to 5 young are born each year, mainly in March and early April. Young pups leave their mother after only a few months and often travel aboveground because they are not as strong as adult moles. Moles are sexually mature about 10 months after birth and may live 3 to 5 years.  

 

 

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