{"id":37610,"date":"2024-06-06T17:21:39","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T15:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/67421cef-ba03-4965-9539-227a11c2b325"},"modified":"2024-06-06T18:26:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T16:26:38","slug":"moles-how-do-they-see-in-the-dark-what-do-they-eat-and-why-are-they-missing-in-some-parts-of-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/moles-how-do-they-see-in-the-dark-what-do-they-eat-and-why-are-they-missing-in-some-parts-of-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Moles: how do they see in the dark, what do they eat and why are they missing in some parts of the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover the fascinating world of moles, including what they look like, what they eat and if they can see in the dark <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 06 June 2024 at 15:21 PM<\/p>

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Molehills are a newsflash from the world below, a reminder that to some of nature, humanity is mostly just an explorer on the rooftop, says wildlife writer, Adele Brand.<\/strong><\/p>

What is a mole?<\/h2>

They are the Banksy of British mammals. Their work appears without prior announcement, startling us as we glance out a car window or stroll rural footpaths. Their canvas is our familiar fields and woods, redesigned overnight with unmapped ranges of tiny conical hills that punch into summer\u2019s choked vegetation with raw, earthy fanfare. <\/p>

What does a mole look like?<\/h2>

Down, down, away from light, birdsong and carparks, the architect of those hills swims in soil. Like a 100g velvet torpedo, a mole is sleek, cylindrical and relentless, deploying its bodybuilder forearms and massive six-toed \u2018hands\u2019 to grapple with the earth. It knows its habitat largely through the sense of touch; its eyes are mere black dots in a sea of fur, and its ears all but invisible. <\/p>

Why do moles tunnel underground?<\/h2>

To a mole, a tunnel is a dining room, a larder and a territory to defend. The spoil from the tunnel\u2019s creation is erupted onto the surface up a vertical shaft, but sometimes other clues are visible from above: a shallow ridge between molehills, for instance, or even a \u2018fortress\u2019 \u2013 a supersized hillock that may contain a nest chamber. It is more likely to be built where the soil is shallow or prone to flooding. <\/p>

Soil is always the mole\u2019s preoccupation; provided it is there, and offers food, they care very little what habitat grows overhead. Woodland, arable farms and even sand dunes all have their moles.<\/p>

What do moles eat?<\/h2>

That food is often earthworms. Moles are pragmatic worm hunters, incapacitating any which they do not immediately eat and storing them in large caches. <\/p>

It has been speculated that their saliva contains toxins that paralyse their prey. They also attempt to bite rivals \u2013 they opt for a solitary existence when not breeding, and avoid tunnels containing the scent of other moles.\u00a0<\/p>