Activities

 Photo copyright Steve Chadd / English Nature

• Moles are about 15cm in length.
• Moles are covered in short black fur which does not lie in any particular direction, allowing the Mole to travel easily either forwards or backwards.
• Moles have tiny eyes, but their eyesight is probably very weak. They have a pink snout surrounded by sensitive whiskers and big powerful feet with large claws for digging.

• Moles originally lived in woodland, however these days you are most likely to spot them by their characteristic ‘ mole hills’ on grassland or in your garden.
• They are found all over Britain, expect peat bogs and mountains. Not found in Ireland.

• Moles live in underground tunnels. Every Mole has one or more nests connecting with the tunnels, each nest is about the shape of a rugby ball. The nests are lined with dry grass or dead leaves.

• Moles live alone, they don’t generally like other Moles. Normally when two Moles meet they fight aggressively. It is only in February when male Moles are sometimes allowed to get close to female Moles. They remain together for only a few hours.
• During April and May the young are born in an extra-large molehill, built by the mother and known as a fortress. There are usually 4 baby Moles in a litter.
• At 14 days the young have fur and their eyes open after 22 days. After 5 or 6 weeks they leave the nest. This is the most dangerous time for a young Mole as they have to move above ground to find themselves a new place to live.

• Insects and worms fall into the tunnels a Mole digs, allowing the Mole to collect them up and eat them.
• Although they have poor eyesight Moles can hear worms from a distance and have a good sense of smell.
• The Moles day is different to ours: they search their tunnels looking for food for 4 hours, rest for 4 hours, search for 4 hours etc.

• Moles sometimes venture above ground and can be eaten by Owls and weasels. Cats and dogs sometimes kill Moles although they rarely eat them.
• Humans used to trap and kill Moles for their fur, from which fur coats were made. Today Moles can be a problem for farmers, who may attempt to control their numbers.
• Moles, if they reach adulthood, live on average for 3 years.

• Moles have a very good sense of smell. Can you determine what something is just by smelling it? Collect together a variety of items, some food, some non-food items (nothing poisonous), when blindfolded can you guess which are which just by using your sense of smell?
• Look out for molehills when walking near grassland or pasture. Can you work out how many different Mole territories you can find? Look out for freshly dug groups of molehills in June, these may be young moles setting up new homes.
• The feet of Moles are specially adapted for digging. Hold a competition, give each child a different instrument to dig with (a fork, a spoon, a stick, a piece of cardboard…) who can dig the deepest hole in a set time? Which shape and features are best for digging? Ask each child to design a super digging tool, the design can be based on the Mole’s feet.
• For more information about Moles contact: http://www.workingforwildlife.org.uk/contact.htm

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