Invisible and inaudible, moles are actually present almost everywhere. They just live underground, so we rarely notice them – these creatures practically do not get to the surface. It doesn’t need them, since nature almost perfectly adapted them to a permanent underground existence.
The coat of these animals is notable for the fact that dirt practically does not stick to it, even wet. A typical wormhole is a central room used as a food warehouse, from which numerous branches depart. In length, each of the tunnels of the mole can reach 100-200 meters. The basis of food for moles is ordinary earthworms. The genital organ of the males of these animals is notable for the fact that there is bone in it. In winter, moles do not hibernate, but look for insects sleeping in the ground and their larvae. But since it is much more difficult to get food in frozen ground during the cold season, moles make food supplies in advance.
Females of these animals feed their cubs with milk until they grow up enough to leave their mother and begin an independent life. Contrary to popular myth, moles have eyes, and they are not blind. Just visually notice them is very difficult due to skin folds. Moles need to eat constantly. If this animal is deprived of food, in 15-16 hours it will most likely die of hunger. They are not tame, and do not live in captivity. They tried to breed because of their skins, but nothing good came of it. To dig a meter-long tunnel, a mole takes about 3-5 minutes, depending on the ground. Moles regularly harm farmers. According to world statistics, on average they destroy or damage about one percent of the global agricultural crop. Moreover, moles do not eat plants, but, digging their tunnels, they damage the root systems of plants.
A mole has more teeth in its mouth than a human has – as many as forty-four. In the USSR, moles were actively hunted because of their skins. At least several million of these animals were exterminated each year. Their hair grows strictly upward, and not in any one direction, as in most other mammals. Therefore, it does not bully if the mole, for example, backs away along its tunnel. Since the constant movement through tight tunnels damages the wool, it is quickly updated. Moles usually molt three to four times a year. For a day, an adult mole eats an amount of food approximately equal to its own weight. Being very far-sighted creatures, moles just in case make spare pantries that will not let them die of hunger if something happens to their main warehouse.
The basis of the moles menu is insects and their larvae. During the day, an adult mole is able to dig a tunnel more than a hundred meters long. The sense of smell in these animals is well developed. Their sensitive nose allows you to sniff food even underground. Most moles in the world live in Europe, Asia and North America. On occasion, moles can briefly become carnivores, and eat some small animal, if any, turns up.
