Did you know that the mole is a very interesting little creature.  This five toed, thick clawed and shovel footed mammal spends most of its life burrowing underground.  Moles have very tiny eyes that make them almost blind, but luckily, moles have an acute sense of touch.  On their snout, face, feet and tail there are sensory bumps and whiskers that allow the mole to feel its way underground.

Moles have big appetites!  Amazingly, they eat their weight in food every day.  Tasty insects, earthworms, mice, fish, frogs and other small animals make up their diet.  Because their saliva contains a toxin that can paralyze earthworms, moles are able to store their still living prey for later consumption.  They construct special underground "larders" for just this purpose; researchers have discovered such larders with over a thousand earthworms in them.  Before eating earthworms, moles pull them between their squeezed paws to force the collected earth and dirt out of the worm's gut.

Moles are considered to be pests in some countries.  Problems caused by moles include contamination of farm animals food with soil, making it so livestock will not eat it, damage to farming equipment because they bring stones to the surface, damage to young plants through disturbance of the soil,  and when they turn over the soil it allows weeds to grow more easily.  Also, other species such as weasels and voles may use mole tunnels to get to plant roots that they eat.

Below you will find some pictures of moles.  If you click on them they will be shown larger.