Everyone knows molehills, but we don’t see a real mole that often. Why does a mole actually make heaps? Are they really blind? And did you know that moles can swim very well? Find out more about these wonderful underground animals.
Description of the appearance
Moles are small animals with a velvety dark coat that spend most of their lives underground. With a body length of 15 cm, small eyes and a large pink muzzle, they are really endearing. Moles have front legs with six fingers, which have wide flat nails. The ideal tools for digging extensive gangways. The hairs of the soft mole coat are placed in such a way that moles can easily move in all directions, because the hairs can, as it were, tilt in the right direction. This is useful if a mole first crawls forward through the corridors and suddenly has to back up. That way he can’t get stuck. In addition, the dense coat protects his skin against sand, water and cold. For the mole, its coat is a big disadvantage. The lack of growth direction makes the coat very popular for clothing processing.
Blind, or not?
It’s often thought that moles are blind, but that’s not true. They have very small eyes, about the size of a pinhead, where they can actually see ee. Moles, on the other hand, don’t have ears. That does not mean that they are deaf, because they hear with their feeler hairs on their head and snout. They also have a very well developed sense of smell. With their long snouts, they can smell and locate just about anything.
Way of life
The life of a mole mainly takes place underground, they occasionally come above the ground. This is usually when a nest-leaver looks for extra food such as insects. Normally moles live solitary = alone. Only in the mating season two moles form a pair. The main daily activities of a mole are digging and eating. A mole makes a very extensive house in its territory, including corridors, hunting corridors and a living room. The well-known molehills that are a thorn in many gardeners, are created by pushing out the earth that is released during digging, and which is no longer used to reinforce the walls. The molehill is almost always at the end of these corridors and also provides fresh air in the rooms. From the living room there are escape corridors that go in all directions so that the mole has enough options to quickly run away in case of danger.
Moles have no natural predators underground. Birds of prey, dogs, cats, foxes and martens are above-ground enemies. Territories are well defended and intruders are not tolerated. Furthermore, the mole hunts everything that wanders in its hunting galleries.
Nutrition
It mainly feeds on earthworms, but snails, insects, larvae and even a stray frog are on the mole’s menu. A mole eats a lot per day, between 50 and 100 grams of food. That is sometimes more than its own body weight because a mole weighs between 30 and 130 grams. The large amount of worms, snails and insects consumed by moles is the great advantage of a mole in the garden. Creatures that may be harmful to the plants in the garden are thus naturally removed.
Reproduction
In the spring, moles start looking for a partner. With moles, the males go in search, for this they dig until they have found a suitable female. Mating takes place in the beginning of spring, between February and April. The gestation period is about 28 days and the young are born between May and June. This is the only period of the year that moles live and live together. The young are born without fur and blind. The female takes full care of the young, the male protects the nest. The development of the little moles is very fast. After about two weeks they get their fur. A week later the eyes open and after 30 days the young leave the nest for the first time. At first they still drink from the mother, but five weeks after birth they are already large enough to live completely on solid food. After two months, the young are big and old enough to be able to live independently. They leave the nest around this time. The father then goes back to his own territory and the mother stays in her territory. The young will immediately look for their own territory and usually they do this via the surface. That is why you have the greatest chance of seeing a mole at the end of the summer. After eleven months, the young moles are already sexually mature, immediately in the following mating season. This is important for reproduction, because moles usually don’t get very old. A healthy mole usually reaches between three and five years of age.
Animal-friendly way to scare away the moles
Many people don’t want molehills in their yard. Indeed, those heaps are not that beautiful on a beautiful lawn. However, a mole is completely unaware that it is digging the garden! There are plenty of ways to get rid of a mole, but many are not animal-friendly. Yet it is also possible to chase the mole away in an animal-friendly way. One option is to place fine mesh under your lawn. There is also a plant, the imperial crown (Fritillaria imperialis), which you can place against moles in your garden. If you place a sphere every eight meters around your garden, this should be sufficient, according to experts. The plant itself also produces beautiful flowers. The bulbs of this plant seem to give off a scent that reminds moles of foxes. Hence, the mole will then look for another area without the air of a natural enemy. There are also electronic poles for sale that work on solar energy and spread a high-pitched sound through the ground. Moles do not like this either, so they will most likely look for a quieter and quieter area. So if you suffer from moles, do not immediately reach for mole traps or poison, but try it animal-friendly first!
Moles are no longer protected animals in the Netherlands since 2005. That is why it is all the more important to be aware of the mole population so that the mole does not end up on the list again!