Office: 01900 818 817 Mob: 0784 9954 546
Gary@cumbriawildlifemanagement.co.uk
Habitat
: Lives mostly underground in pasture, woodland and gardens; absent from high moors, mountains and acid soils.
Size: Male:- head and body about 15cm (6ins). Female is slightly smaller. Tail about 32mm long. Weight:- about 120g and males are heavier than females.
Life-span: up to 3 years.
Food: Mainly earthworms. Also insect larvae and slugs
Description: Solid, muscular body covered in velvety black fur (grey, cream, orange, white and piebald colours also found). Long, pointed nose and short, upright tail. Tiny pin-head sized eyes. Large, shovel-like front feet with 5 strong claws.
The mole is not seen very often but it is one of our best known small mammals. The heaps of soil (molehills) which it makes whilst tunnelling gives its presence away. In medieval times it was called a moldewarp (earth thrower). The mole is closely related to the hedgehog and shrews.
Mole Habits
Territory: Each mole has its own burrow system, a network of firm-walled tunnels. The tunnels are about 5cm wide, 4cm high and may be over 70 metres long; they vary in depth from just beneath the surface of the ground to about 70cm. When digging close to the surface, the moles push the displaced soil up vertical tunnels and these form the familiar molehills. The territories of several moles may overlap, but the residents avoid each other if they can, except in the breeding season. If two males meet, they may fight fiercely, which can result in death.
Daily Life: Moles are active by day and by night, almost continuously digging their tunnels and searching for food. They are active for about four hours at a time and then rest for a similar length of time. A mole will die of starvation if it does not eat every few hours. Breeding: Moles breed from March to May only. The male (boar) visits the female (sow) in her burrow and leaves straight after mating, taking no part in raising the young. The female builds a special chamber about the size of a football and lines it with dry grass and leaves. An extra large molehill, or 'fortress', usually covers the nest chamber. A food store will be close by.
After a gestation period (time between mating and birth) of 30 days, a litter of 2-7 young is born. The babies are blind and naked at birth and do not grow fur until they are 2 weeks old. At about 3 weeks of age their eyes open. They grow quickly, feeding on their mother's milk, and are ready to leave the nest at about 35 days. They travel overland searching for territories of their own.
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Member Of
The Guild of British Molecatchers
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