Details
Talpa europaea
European mole is a small subterranean mammal with powerful digging forefeet. Molehills can be unwelcome in lawns, but the animal is an important underground predator.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses grassland, fields, gardens, parks, and deciduous woodland with workable soil. Main habitat types in this guide are forest, grassland, urban.
Typical length 11-16 cm, weight 70 g-130 g. A cylindrical body, short tail, tiny eyes, and outward-facing shovel-like forefeet suit tunneling.
It is active in repeated bouts across day and night and usually solitary. It uses nest chambers and feeding tunnels, leaving molehills at the surface.
It is carnivorous. Earthworms, insect larvae, and other soil invertebrates dominate the diet.
Females rear young in underground nests in spring, and juveniles disperse after growth.
Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. Molehills can be unwelcome in lawns, but the animal is an important underground predator.
