Many people have heard about moles, but have seen them inthe nature of the unit. Villagers usually find out not the animal itself, but traces of its presence on the territory of the estate. At the same time, they immediately take measures to free the site of uninvited animals, because they know something about moles: what they eat, how they see, how they hear.
Description of moles
Moles are miniature predators 10-25 cm long,building a dwelling under the ground with the help of strong front paws. The length of their tail is equal to the size of the head. Animal skin is covered with short and soft fur, easily stacked from front to back, and in the opposite direction. Thanks to this, the mole can easily move along the dug underground tunnels, both forward and backward. The color of the skin varies from dark gray to black tones.
The animals have tiny eyes.In separate individuals, they hide under the skin, practically becoming fused with it. Underground creatures, despite having eyes, are blind. Barely visible organs of vision are atrophied by them - they are not equipped with retina and pupil.
The animals have no ears, or rather, they are covered with a dense skin or are associated with it. This excludes the penetration of the earth into the ears. The functions of the auditory organs in moles are atrophied.
Animals are guided by an acute scent.The nose of the animals was transformed into a mobile process, constantly sniffing the space and looking for prey. They have a well developed sense of orientation. They mark the habitat with a special secretion. This allows them to find their labyrinths and learn about the invasion of strangers into their home.
Mole is a shrew, he perfectly adapted tolife in the ground. He rakes the earth with powerful paws-blades with strong claws, which are flattened at the top. The animal loosens the hard ground, breaks the hole and builds an intricate network of highways, merging into an intricate labyrinth, where the mole feeds and makes supplies, pours and multiplies.
Reproduction
The animals mate in the first spring days.The offspring appear once a year, not earlier than April-June. In the litter are found 3-9 blind and naked cubs. The young ones make quiet sounds, like a chicken squeak. Initially, the young are friendly, but over time, aggressive broilage occurs in the brood.
Monthly moles are difficult to distinguish from adultsindividuals. At this age, the animals begin to leave their maternal habitat and build their main roads. In the migration period, if necessary, they swim small rivulets.
Habitat
The mole's home is the west of Russia, Siberia and the eastUrals, or rather, their forests and forest-steppe zones. They choose regions with moist soils that are easy to dig and are rich in what the mole feeds in the forest and on the bordering territories. The bulk of animals leads an underground way of life, doing tunneling tunnel works.
Some animals prefer the grounda way of life that allows them to seek food without special difficulties. However, because of the features of the structure of the front legs, designed to tear the ground, on land moles have to move only crawling. Dense twilight and night - the hours of activity of these animals.
На степных и таежных просторах нет достаточного The quantity of what moles feed in the forest (due to acidic and dry soils). However, they occasionally occur in these zones, mastering flood meadows and river floodplains, overgrown with shrub thickets.
Food
Moles have increased metabolism.This is the reason for their excessive gluttony. Earthworms, rootlets and plants are what moles eat in the forest and on its outskirts. If the worms are in excess, the animals, immobilizing them, form an edible stock.
Having eaten 20 grams of worms at a time, the animalCollapses into a ball and sleeps for about 5 hours. A waking animal immediately starts looking for food. Trapeznichaet mole 3-4 times a day. To saturate, he needs 60-80 grams of feed. Moles do not go into hibernation, their activity does not die out all year round.
What the mole feeds in the forest also does not stoplife activity. The animal follows the worms even under the snow cover. He tirelessly engaged in laying the snowy forage highways. Liveness creeps into a network of mole tunnels. It attracts the musky smell of animals and fever. Mole can only collect the prey.
Mole is an insectivorous animal.Bugs, larvae, insects and worms are what the mole feeds in the forest and in the water meadows. And he is a predatory animal, feeding on small rodents, arthropods of different sizes. It is not a problem for him to eat, for example, a lizard.
The benefits of moles
These shrews are valued for their excellent fur skins used in the fur industry. Strong mole skins covered with thick fur. On the fur market, the need for animal skins is quite high.
Thanks to the lifestyle of these animals is improvingsoil condition. Their "labor activity" on farmland brings significant benefits. True, they are able to cripple the rhizomes of plants, and because of molehills it is difficult to mow grass.
Is Mole Dangerous to Man?
There is no direct threat from moles to man.However, this earth-moving creature is considered by summer residents to be the main problems in garden plots. The fact is that farmers have a headache when moles are found in the garden. The benefits and harm of them literally go hand in hand.
Кроты вредят газонам.Digging them under the treated area is not difficult. The root system of well-groomed lawn grass is shallow. Under the turf lies uncooled land - a place of a huge concentration of earthworms. In such a place food is easily obtained.
Swarm tunnels, the animal spoils the rhizomes of cultivated plants. Due to its activity, fruit and vegetable crops are dying. In addition, he does not shun the destruction of planting and harvest.
In addition to everything, destroying what feedsa mole in the forest - worms and frogs, bearing the benefit of the soil, the animal harms the land. Due to the disappearance of beneficial animals, the soil deteriorates and insects are bred on it.
