Many have heard about moles, but few have seen them in nature. The villagers usually discover not the animal itself, but traces of its presence on the estate. At the same time, they immediately take measures to free the site from uninvited animals, because they know something about moles: what they eat, how they see, how they hear.
Description of moles
Moles - miniature predators 10-25 cm long, building a dwelling underground with the help of strong forepaws. The size of their tail is equal in length to the size of the head. The animal skin is covered with short and soft fur, which can be easily laid from front to back, and in the opposite direction. Thanks to this, the mole easily moves through the dug underground tunnels both forward and backward. The color of the skin varies from dark gray to black.
The animals have tiny eyes. In some individuals, they hide under the skin, almost fused with it. Underground creatures, despite having eyes, are blind. Their subtle organs of vision are atrophied - they are not equipped with a retina and a pupil.
The animals do not have auricles, or rather, they are covered with a dense skin or spliced with it. This eliminates the penetration of the earth into the ears. The functions of the auditory organs in moles are atrophied.
Animals are guided by a sharp scent. The nose of the animals was transformed into a mobile process, constantly sniffing the space and looking for prey. They have a well-developed sense of orientation. They mark the habitat with a special secretion. This allows them to find their mazes and learn about the invasion of strangers in their abode.
The mole is a shrew, he perfectly adapted to life in the ground. He rakes the earth with powerful paws-shovels with strong claws, which are flattened at the top. With them, the animal loosens hard soil, breaks through a hole and builds an intricate network of highways merging into an intricate labyrinth where the mole feeds and makes supplies, sleeps and multiplies.
Breeding
The animals mate in the first spring days. The offspring appears once a year, not earlier than April-June. In the litter 3-9 blind and naked cubs are found. Young animals make quiet sounds, like a chicken squeak. At first, the cubs are friendly, but over time, aggressive brawls arise in the brood.
Monthly moles are difficult to distinguish from adults. At this age, the animals begin to leave the maternal abode and build their highways. During the migration period, if necessary, they cross small rivers.
Habitat
The habitat of moles is the west of Russia, Siberia and the east of the Urals, or rather, their forests and forest-steppe zones. They choose for life regions with moist soils that are easy to dig and rich in what the mole eats in the forest and on the territories bordering it. The bulk of the animals leads an underground lifestyle, engaged in laying tunnels.
Some animals prefer a land-based way of life, which allows them to find food without any special difficulties. True, because of the structural features of the forelegs designed to tear the soil, moles only have to crawl on land. Thick twilight and night are hours of activity of these animals.
In the steppe and taiga open spaces there is not enough of what moles in the forest eat (due to acidic and dry soils). However, they are rarely found in these zones, mastering water meadows and river floodplains, covered by shrubbery.
Nutrition
Moles have an increased metabolism. This is the reason for their excessive gluttony. Earthworms, roots and plants - this is what moles eat in the forest and on its outskirts. If the worms are in excess, the animals, immobilizing them, form an edible reserve.
After eating 20 g of worms at a time, the animal curls up and sleeps for about 5 hours. A waking animal is immediately taken for food. Mole eats 3-4 times daily. For saturation, 60-80 g of feed is enough for him. Moles do not hibernate; their activity does not fade away year-round.
What the mole eats in the forest also does not stop its activity. The animal follows the worms even under the snow cover. He tirelessly works on laying snow-covered feed lines. The living creatures creep into the network of mole tunnels. She is attracted by the musky smell of animals and fever. Mole can only collect prey.
The mole is an insectivorous animal. Bugs, larvae, insects and worms are what the mole eats in the forest and in the flood meadows. And he is a predatory animal that feeds on small rodents, arthropods of various sizes. It’s not a problem for him to eat, for example, a lizard.
The benefits of moles
These shrews are valued for the magnificent fur skins used in the fur industry. Strong mole skins are covered with thick fur. In the fur market, the need for animal skins is quite large.
Thanks to the lifestyle of these animals, the soil condition improves. Their "labor activity" on farmland brings significant benefits. True, they are able to maim plant rhizomes, and because of molehills it is difficult to mow grass.
Is mole dangerous for humans
There is no direct threat from moles to humans. However, this digging creature is ranked by summer residents as the main problems in garden plots. The fact is that farmers have a headache when moles are found in the garden and vegetable garden. The benefits and harms of them literally go hand in hand.
Moles harm lawns. Digging tunnels under the cultivated area is not difficult. The root system of manicured lawn grass is shallow. Under the turf lies non-packed ground - a place of enormous concentration of earthworms. Food is easily obtained in such a place.
Swarm tunnels, the animal spoils the rhizomes of cultivated plants. Because of its activities, fruit and vegetable crops die. In addition, he does not disdain the extermination of plantings and crops.
In addition to everything, destroying what the mole eats in the forest - worms and frogs that benefit the soil, the animal harms the land. Due to the disappearance of beneficial animals, the soil is deteriorating, pests are bred on it.