The appearance of the mole
Moles are cute creatures: they get up to 16cm long and 130g heavy and are therefore smaller than a rat. With its pointed snout, very small eyes and large shovels on its front paws, it is truly a special mammal.
also read
- Mole or vole in the garden? - How to find out the difference
- The tracks of the vole
- What does a mole eat?
Digression
The sixth sense of the mole
The life cycle of the mole
Are moles loner. Only in the mating season between February and April do moles willing to mate come together to provide for offspring. At this time, males leave their territory, which means that more molehills can be observed. Female moles carry for four weeks and so bring
between March and the end of May two to seven young are born. They only open their eyes after about three weeks and look for their own territory when they are about six weeks old. The mortality of the little ones is very high. Over half will not reach sexual maturity in the next year. Moles can up to seven years old; however, only a few happy animals die of old age.The mole's tunnel system
Moles are known to dig tunnel systems. The corridors are between 10 and 100 cm deep, depending on the type of corridor and the time of year. In the winter the mole digs significantly deeperto find food.
A mole digs around seven meters every hour, which is why its construction can assume a considerable length of up to 200m in total. We see the excavation on the surface as molehills. The mole creates several chambers in the tunnel system, including:
- Pantries
- a living and nesting chamber
- Water point
When is the mole active?
Many wonder if the Mole nocturnal or diurnal is. But since the mole lives underground, where the rhythm of day and night is practically irrelevant, it does not follow it. Instead, the mole did Waking and sleeping phaseseach about four hours.
The mole as a beneficial insect
Lawn lovers hate the mole because it leaves unattractive piles on the beautiful lawn. Apart from this optical detail, the mole is a real blessing for every ornamental and kitchen garden: moles are great pest eaters and pure carnivores, which is why they do not harm plants - very different from z. B. the vole. They eat a day at least half of their body weight in grubs, worms, larvae, snails and Co. and thus keep the garden free from pests. In addition, through their burial activity, they aerate the soil and thus improve its quality.
Tips
The mole is under protection. Therefore it may not be killed, caught, or hunted. Only that To evict with harmless means is allowed. However, it is questionable whether this garden protector should be driven away.
