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Moles Destroying Your Yard?
We Can Get Rid of Them Permanently
We Can Get Rid of Them Permanently
Moles are small mammals that are found all over the world. They are often thought of as garden pests, mainly because of their intricate tunnel systems. And though they spend most of the time underground, they are not blind.
Size: These rotund animals have a hairless, pointed snout, small eyes and no visible ears. On average, moles grow to 4.4 to 6.25 inches long from snout to rump. Their tails add 1 to 1.6 inches of length. They typically weigh 2.5 to 4.5 ounces.
The American species is a little on the larger side. The North American mole species tends to get as big as 7 inches long, 1.25 inches tall and weigh around 4 ounces.
Habitat
Moles are found on every continent except Antarctica and South America. They live in grasslands, urban areas, gardens, sand dunes, mixed woodland or any area that has soil where they can dig tunnels. They do tend to stay away from areas with acidic soil and mountainous areas.
Moles use tunnels to travel, but tunnels are more than just underground highways. Moles dig special chambers at the ends of tunnels that serve as bedrooms and birthing areas. Sometimes moles will live in a series of tunnels for generations before moving.
Moles have kitchens, as well, in tunnel chambers. They eat mostly earthworms, and keep them alive and immobile by biting their heads, and then store them in the chamber. As many as 470 worms have been recorded in one chamber, according to the Mammal Society.
Diet
It is a misconception that moles burrow into gardens to eat the roots of plants. They are actually after the earthworms that are found in garden soil. Moles love earthworms so much that they eat nearly their body weight worth of earthworms per day. For example, a mole weighing 2.8 ounces around 1.7 ounces of earthworms per day, according to the Mammal Society. Moles also consume insect larvae.
Offspring
During breeding season, males will enlarge their tunnel to more territories to find females to mate with. Once the breeding is done, a spherical nest chamber lined with dry plant material is created.
A female mole gives birth to three to four hairless babies at a time. By 14 days old, the mole babies, called pups, will start to grow hair. At four to five weeks, the pups are weaned, and at 33 days they leave the nest. By five to six weeks, pups leave their mother and their home tunnel completely. Moles typically live three years.
Size: These rotund animals have a hairless, pointed snout, small eyes and no visible ears. On average, moles grow to 4.4 to 6.25 inches long from snout to rump. Their tails add 1 to 1.6 inches of length. They typically weigh 2.5 to 4.5 ounces.
The American species is a little on the larger side. The North American mole species tends to get as big as 7 inches long, 1.25 inches tall and weigh around 4 ounces.
Habitat
Moles are found on every continent except Antarctica and South America. They live in grasslands, urban areas, gardens, sand dunes, mixed woodland or any area that has soil where they can dig tunnels. They do tend to stay away from areas with acidic soil and mountainous areas.
Moles use tunnels to travel, but tunnels are more than just underground highways. Moles dig special chambers at the ends of tunnels that serve as bedrooms and birthing areas. Sometimes moles will live in a series of tunnels for generations before moving.
Moles have kitchens, as well, in tunnel chambers. They eat mostly earthworms, and keep them alive and immobile by biting their heads, and then store them in the chamber. As many as 470 worms have been recorded in one chamber, according to the Mammal Society.
Diet
It is a misconception that moles burrow into gardens to eat the roots of plants. They are actually after the earthworms that are found in garden soil. Moles love earthworms so much that they eat nearly their body weight worth of earthworms per day. For example, a mole weighing 2.8 ounces around 1.7 ounces of earthworms per day, according to the Mammal Society. Moles also consume insect larvae.
Offspring
During breeding season, males will enlarge their tunnel to more territories to find females to mate with. Once the breeding is done, a spherical nest chamber lined with dry plant material is created.
A female mole gives birth to three to four hairless babies at a time. By 14 days old, the mole babies, called pups, will start to grow hair. At four to five weeks, the pups are weaned, and at 33 days they leave the nest. By five to six weeks, pups leave their mother and their home tunnel completely. Moles typically live three years.