Mole: what eats and how this underground hermit lives

Everyone heard about moles, but few can say that he saw them in their natural habitat. Even fewer people know that they like to eat. However, all these questions do not prevent summer residents and gardeners from seeing the enemy in the animal: if potholes appeared on the site and the crop began to disappear, then the mole is always to blame. What does this little "saboteur" eat, and what is his lifestyle?

mole what eats
Given that he is part of the insectivore family, most of his food is made up of worms, beetles and insect larvae. However, the mole (which we eat in more detail) is a real predator, and therefore it can sometimes eat a mouse, a small lizard or a frog.

The size of the animal greatly depends on the amount of food: under optimal conditions, it can grow up to 25 cm. Contrary to the generally accepted view, moles are not completely blind. Of course, in most individuals, the eyes completely atrophied as a result of the evolutionary process.

But occasionally there are moles in which one can distinguish eyes. They cannot be called a full-fledged organ of vision, since at best they can give an animal an idea of ​​darkness or light.

what the mole eats

What do you think, without what sensory organ can a mole do? What eats a blind creature that cannot see its prey? Of course, he cannot live without a well-developed sense of smell.

The nose of a mole has long been reborn into a certain locator resembling a small pink trunk. He constantly checks the space around the animal, informing his master about the proximity of potential food, about enemies or sexual partners.

Most of the small mole’s brain is occupied by the area responsible for finding food. Any mole (which we’ve already eaten) is a small mammal with a frantic metabolism. His body needs so much food per day that this amount exceeds its own weight.

And therefore, around the clock, this relentless eater breaks new moves, constantly needing a source of energy. It is due to such tireless activity that moleholes sometimes stretch for tens of kilometers, interwoven into such complex systems that only the owners themselves can understand them.

mole habitat
In general, the habitat of the mole involves the constant abrasion of its skin, and therefore it is of rare quality. Due to the difficult "operating conditions", the mole fur coat is completely renewed three times a year. Any woman of fashion knows that the mole’s fur is unique: it does not have a direction, since its owner is forced to take back, bend, reaching especially tasty worms, or even turn around on a tiny square.

If his skin was different, then he would have peeled off after a couple of months of such a life.

Given their terrible gluttony, do not be surprised that moles are forced to live alone, needing a large hunting territory. They meet only for the period of mating, after which they disperse, and the female gives birth and feeds 5-10 cubs alone. They spend only two months with their mother, after which they leave for free swimming.

So you found out what the mole eats and what its lifestyle is.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/E10762/


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