Mole

Mole facts at a glance

What is a group of moles called?

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Built for digging

The mole is one of nature's most specialised diggers. Its broad, outward-facing front paws work like shovels, and an extra thumb-like bone widens each paw to move more soil. Its fur has no grain, so it can move forwards or backwards in a tight tunnel without snagging, and a high tolerance for carbon dioxide lets it breathe the stale air of its burrows.

Diet and the worm larder

Moles are insectivores that feed mainly on earthworms, detecting the vibrations of prey falling into their tunnels. When food is plentiful a mole will bite the heads off surplus earthworms to paralyse them and store them alive in a special chamber — caches of hundreds of worms have been found in a single larder. A mole must eat frequently and can starve within a day if it cannot feed.

Habitat and molehills

The European mole lives across most of Britain and continental Europe in any soil soft enough to tunnel, from meadows and woodland to gardens and playing fields. The familiar molehills are simply the spoil heaps of excavated earth; a single mole digs and maintains an extensive territory of tunnels and is usually solitary, defending its system against other moles.

Conservation

Moles are listed as Least Concern and remain common, although they are absent from Ireland. They are widely regarded as a garden and pasture pest because of their molehills, but they also aerate soil and control insect pests. Their main natural predators include owls, buzzards, foxes, and stoats when they venture briefly above ground.

Did you know? Mole facts

• The European mole is a small, cylindrical burrowing mammal with velvety black fur, tiny eyes, and enormous spade-like front paws built for digging.
• A group of moles is called a labour. Moles are mostly solitary, so groups are uncommon outside of a mother with her young, and a baby mole is called a pup.
• Moles are not completely blind, but their eyes are tiny and hidden in the fur and can only sense light and movement. Living underground, they rely far more on touch, smell, and vibration than on sight.
• Moles are insectivores that feed mainly on earthworms, along with insect larvae, grubs, and other small soil invertebrates. They can store live, paralysed earthworms in underground larders for later.
• Molehills are the heaps of soil a mole pushes to the surface as it digs and maintains its tunnel network. The tunnels act as traps that earthworms fall into, providing the mole with food.
• Conservation: Least Concern (IUCN).

Diet & feeding

Mole feeds primarily as a insectivore (mostly earthworms). The mole is one of nature's most specialised diggers. Its broad, outward-facing front paws work like shovels, and an extra thumb-like bone widens each paw to move more soil. Its fur has no grain, so it can move forwards or backwards in a tight tunnel without sn

Adaptations

• The mole is one of nature's most specialised diggers. Its broad, outward-facing front paws work like shovels, and an extra thumb-like bone widens each paw to move more soil. Its fur has no grain, so it can move forwards or backwards in a tight tunnel without snagging, and a high tolerance for carbon dioxide lets it breathe the stale air of its burrows.
• Moles are insectivores that feed mainly on earthworms, detecting the vibrations of prey falling into their tunnels. When food is plentiful a mole will bite the heads off surplus earthworms to paralyse them and store them alive in a special chamber — caches of hundreds of worms have been found in a single larder. A mole must eat frequently and can starve within a day if it cannot feed.

Behaviour & ecology

• The mole is one of nature's most specialised diggers. Its broad, outward-facing front paws work like shovels, and an extra thumb-like bone widens each paw to move more soil. Its fur has no grain, so it can move forwards or backwards in a tight tunnel without snagging, and a high tolerance for carbon dioxide lets it breathe the stale air of its burrows.
• Moles are insectivores that feed mainly on earthworms, detecting the vibrations of prey falling into their tunnels. When food is plentiful a mole will bite the heads off surplus earthworms to paralyse them and store them alive in a special chamber — caches of hundreds of worms have been found in a single larder. A mole must eat frequently and can starve within a day if it cannot feed.
• The European mole lives across most of Britain and continental Europe in any soil soft enough to tunnel, from meadows and woodland to gardens and playing fields. The familiar molehills are simply the spoil heaps of excavated earth; a single mole digs and maintains an extensive territory of tunnels and is usually solitary, defending its system against other moles.

Communication

• Mole uses scent, posture, and vocal signals to mark territory and coordinate social behaviour.
• Communication intensity often peaks during breeding seasons and territorial disputes.

Habitat & range

Underground tunnels in grassland, woodland, gardens

Ecological role

Mole plays a recognised ecological role in underground tunnels in grassland, woodland, gardens.

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Mole:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Least Concern) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Talpa europaea.

• IUCN Red List — Talpa europaea.

  Conservation status (Least Concern) and population trends.

• Animal Diversity Web — Talpa europaea. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Wikipedia — Mole.

  General taxonomy and overview (cross-check primary sources).

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.