Everything that moles eat, is underground. Therefore, in the autumn or spring they are engaged in the construction of a network of underground highways, through which during the remaining seasons they regularly walk around, collecting their own food. Such moves are called “fodder”. They also dig “residential” tunnels. They settle their nests and raise offspring.
Along with hedgehogs and earth shrews, moles belong to the class of insectivores. Contrary to popular belief, they do not fall into hibernation. In the cold season, lead a less active lifestyle, so they need less feed. In order not to die of hunger in winter, harvest for winter worms. They skillfully paralyze them, traumatizing their head, and put away for storage. Sometimes in such storages you can find several hundred earthworms. Studies have shown that the saliva of such a beast contains a very toxic substance that paralyzes worms.
The basis of the diet of all moles is invertebrates. In their stomach, they never found the remains of plant food. Plants they eat extremely rarely. This is due to a very strong hunger and the inability to obtain the usual food. Among the most favorite of their delicacies are earthworms. At one meal, the animal absorbs more than 20 pieces. With less willingness to eat lice, slugs, spiders, millipedes. He does not refuse from various insects, likes to eat their larvae. Medvedkov, caterpillars, May beetles, click-cocks are also included in the diet of the European mole. If he meets on his way an inactive little vertebral (field mouse, small lizards, small frogs), then he eats it with pleasure.
The food is digested in his body from 4 to 5 hours. Therefore, he eats several times a day, since without food he can live no more than 14-17 hours. If you do not eat during this time, then die. The number of meals regulates its mobility. In between, he usually sleeps.
An interesting fact is the cannibalism of these animals. The European mole is a very unfriendly animal in relation to its neighbors. If the “neighbor” gets on someone else’s territory, he can be bitten to death and eat.
