What is the depth of a mole’s hole? How and to what depth does a mole dig a ground?

Many of the small animals that live in the village, know only by cartoons. It's about moles. Not many saw them in the natural environment. And having noticed and examined, they were scared. Their forelimbs look so bright. And, of course, not everyone can tell what the depth of a mole’s hole is. For non-specialists, this interesting topic often remains “a secret behind seven seals”. But in fact it is very informative. Not only biologists, but also people of other specialties are studying this topic in detail, bearing in mind its practical application. Let us not be left behind. Suddenly come in handy!

What is a wormhole

To begin with, this animal does not really like to peep out into the white light (if I may say so about it). The fact is that the mole is blind because of the lifestyle. Its habitat is the upper layers of the soil. There he feels quite comfortable and cozy. Before asking what the depth of the mole’s hole is, you need to find out why he needs it. After all, such a “structure” depends on the goal-setting. Nature does not like empty movements. In any case, the wormhole specifically proves this principle. The animal devotes almost all the time to its work on “underground construction”. He debugs and improves it. A wormhole is a whole system of corridors and rooms, each of which is created for its own purpose. There are transitions, a latrine, a nest, and a warehouse. Of course, all terms should be quoted. However, they carry a practical load very similar to that which we put in the corresponding names. For example, a latrine is used by animals as a "toilet room". And in other places the animal does not fulfill this natural need.

Why is a mole building a hole?

Let's immediately decide that there are many animals with this name. We are talking about everyone for now. They, of course, have their own characteristics. Only in this part of the article we will talk about a certain "average mole." Consider the functions of his home. There he spends almost his whole life. Note that the depth of the mole’s hole is determined by the tasks for which it digs. In general, it consists of several floors. The first lies ten to twenty-five centimeters from the surface of the soil. This floor consists of a system of moves. They need the animal to look for food. After all, she just “hides” in this layer of soil. Below the mole sinks for other purposes. The second (in depth) floor he creates in order to bring offspring, to preserve their reserves. In a famous fairy tale, it is well described. The mole’s burrow, as shown there, is his warehouse, home, place for hunting, harvesting and ... boardwalk.

As a mole digs earth

Engineers, as well as biologists, were interested in how the little animal manages to build such a complex structure. It should be noted that the depth of a mole’s hole sometimes reaches four meters. For comparison, its dimensions are about twenty centimeters. Feel the difference? Its structure can be equated to our high-rise buildings or mines. For construction, the animal uses almost all parts of the body. It is naturally equipped with powerful forepaws with claws. They scare random witnesses of his rare appearance on the surface. They rake the animal layers of soil. Only they need to be put somewhere. In order to remove excess "building material", the animal makes molehills. These are small exits to the surface through which he pushes the soil. This is done by the head. When the corridor becomes too long, the animal clogs the used hole and digs a new one. And a person sees on the surface of a heap of earth - the results of the work of the mole. Only the entrance can not be found there. The animal hides it cunningly enough not to endanger it, and to preserve its offspring.

What does a mole eat

It is clear that with such a specific way of life, the animal must have a special diet. And they eat everything that occurs on the road. These are mainly parts of plants. Roots, tubers, acorns - all this appears in their stomachs (and not only). Researchers of this interesting animal say that its reserves can impress. For example, mole rat makes several pantries in which you can find up to twenty kilograms of food. Agree, the industriousness of the animal can be envied. In addition, this factor explains how deep the mole digs. Stocks are made for the winter. Therefore, they should not be "lost", in particular, from the cold. So, in those areas where there is more frost, the animal hides deeper and vice versa.

Mole and garden

People in agriculture often complain about animals. The fact is that mole rats often settle near human-processed areas. Given how much he can “steal” from the garden, some start to worry. I must say that a negative attitude towards moles is not entirely justified. Well, let some potatoes or carrots be eaten. At the same time, they still diversify their diet with larvae and other parasites, which can spoil a lot more crops. This conclusion was reached by specialists who figured out how a mole digs a hole. Here is the very first floor designed for feeding. Where the animal will lay it, parasites do not remain. He catches them all and eats. So it turns out that the underground hunter is very useful to gardeners, even for his "services" have to share the harvest. But, by the way, moles are still considered pests. They are trying to get rid of them.

Burrow length

People, considering the indicators achieved by this little builder, focus on the depth of the structure. But there is a more interesting factor that can strike your imagination. Agree, many can dig into the ground for four meters in a straight line. But to build tunnels, the length of which is many times greater than your size, is a huge job. So, this indicator can reach up to three hundred and sixty meters (in mole rats). And it is still unknown whether this is a record. The fact is that many species of moles are not thoroughly studied. About them, science knows only general information. Nobody measured the length and depth of their holes. These include, for example, shrews. They are much smaller than moles. They can imperceptibly live under your nose (in the garden). By the way, shrews are considered useful. They loosen the soil and eat pests.

Interesting facts about wormholes and not only

We’ll start not from home, but from “appearance”. Scientists have found that the animal has an unusual fur coat. His coat grows straight. This is designed so that it does not stop him from changing the direction of movement in narrow passages. Wools perfectly calmly fit both forward and backward. But, due to constant friction, the coat quickly deteriorates. A mole might just be bald. Nature is arranged so that it molts up to four times a year. It is very difficult for predators to hunt underground inhabitants. It is known that they are able to run along their crossings at a speed of more than twenty-five kilometers per minute! Agree, this is very fast. By the way, such a high-speed movement also affects the fur coat negatively. The pantry mole builds on several floors. Researchers found caves with roots and worms. They were stacked separately. The animal does not mix different types of food in one room.

Science and moles

Fans of science fiction know that an unusual animal was noted by physicists. Those in the course of the study of the multidimensionality of our world came to certain conclusions. It turns out that space is nonlinear. It can fold. And its parts are connected with each other by transitions resembling mole burrows. Photos of this phenomenon have not yet been able to take. And with evidence of its existence is difficult. So far, only science fiction writers and some leading scientists from science, acting on the verge of the official system, use the concept of “wormholes”. And it occurred to the researchers precisely in view of the secrecy of the lifestyle of this animal. He keeps his secrets from the curious sometimes not very deep, but sometimes far from the surface of the earth. Try it, find his home!