Know Your Foe, All About Moles...

There are 29 species of mole that can be found across North America, Europe, and Asia. Similar but technically unrelated species are also found in Southern Africa and South America. The European Mole (or common mole) is widely distributed across Great Britain and Continental Europe although it is notably absent from Ireland.

Moles are highly specialised for digging and living underground. They have powerful shoulders and large spade-like claws for excavating earth. Although moles possess very poor senses of hearing and sight, they more than make up for this with exceptional senses of touch and smell.

The commonly seen (and extraordinarliy frustrating) molehill is the result of massive subterranean excavation. They build and live in underground burrows that are extensive; generally covering between two- and seven-thousand square meters, with multi-tiered tunnels systems to a depth of up to 1m.

Burrows will contain a nest for sleeping, one or more food stores which may be packed with up to 1,000 worms, and extensive foraging tunnels used to catch worms and other prey.

In order to store the worms, the mole will paralyse them by biting through their head section and severing their 'spinal cord'. This keeps them alive and fresh for as long as possible whilst preventing them from escaping.

Although adjacent tunnel systems often overlap, and moles may share some tunnel sections, they are very solitary creatures that live alone and will vigorously defend their territory if invaded.

Burrows may be constructed anywhere that the soil is deep enough. They prefer grassland, farmland, parks, and gardens but will also be happy in deciduous woodland, hedges, and light forest. They avoid ground that is permanently wet, stony, sandy, or acidic.