# Mole (*Talpa europaea*)

> The European mole is a small, cylindrical burrowing mammal with velvety black fur, tiny eyes, and enormous spade-like front paws built for digging. It spends almost its entire life underground, hunting earthworms in a network of tunnels, and the molehills on lawns are the soil it pushes to the surface. Moles weigh only about 70–130 g and usually live around 3 years.

- **Category:** Mammal
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Mainland Britain and most of continental Europe, east into Russia; absent from Ireland.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mole/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Eulipotyphla
- **Family:** Talpidae
- **Genus:** Talpa

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Talpa europaea |
| Diet | Insectivore (mostly earthworms) |
| Habitat | Underground tunnels in grassland, woodland, gardens |
| Lifespan | About 3 years (up to 6) |
| Weight | 70–130 g (2.5–4.6 oz) |
| Top speed | Around 4 km/h digging through soil |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## 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.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a group of moles called?

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.

### Are moles blind?

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.

### What do moles eat?

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.

### Why do moles make molehills?

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.

### How long do moles live?

European moles usually live around 3 years in the wild, though some reach up to about 6 years. Many die young from starvation, predation, or being killed as garden pests.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List — Talpa europaea.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Talpa%20europaea&searchType=species)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Talpa europaea. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Talpa_europaea/)
- [Wikipedia — Mole.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_mole)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mole/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.