Why are moles blind and is it true. Why does a mole have poor eyesight

In addition, moles can swim. They are able to swim across small rivers. This is evidenced by underground passages, which, interrupted to the reservoir, continued after. The animals are not adapted to exist on the surface, so you can rarely see them there. And even when the mole shows up, he behaves awkwardly, since he is completely blind and is not used to perceiving any environment different from his moves. Therefore, it moves by crawling. His vision is only adapted to distinguish light from darkness. And it is thanks to such, it would seem, negative properties his physical structure the mole is ideally adapted to life underground.

Moles can be easily recognized by the following external features:

glossy skin with short black fur;

an elongated proboscis, at the bottom of which there are nostrils;

large and widely spaced forepaws with palms facing upward;

small, poorly developed hind legs;

small eyes with poor vision;

body length is approximately 110-170 millimeters, and weight ranges from 60-150 grams;

short tail.

The life cycle of the mole family can be represented as follows:

in the period from the beginning of February to the end of May, the female in one brood brings up to four cubs;

up to nine weeks is spent on the formation of young animals into adults;

after six months (maximum), the parents leave their fully formed brood in the usual network of underground passages and begin to create a new one.

Due to their quarrelsomeness with other individuals, insectivores spend most of their lives underground in solitude, except for the time when their offspring are formed. They rarely change their habitat, and basically their whole life is concentrated within one system of tunnels. Moles have two musk glands, with the help of which a specific smell of musk is produced, which can attract both other relatives and earthworms that serve as an object of food.

To survive, a mole of average weight (eighty grams) must consume at least forty grams of earthworms per day. main feature the network of tunnels dug by a mole consists in the fact that various insects and worms penetrate into them, becoming simple prey. For a long time, moles are able to hold their prey with the help of bites to the head. The network of underground passages grows in the event that the diggers begin to feel the need for food.

For a full-fledged life, a mole of average body weight (80 grams) needs to absorb about 40 grams of earthworms daily. The tunnels are designed so that they have enough easy prey in the form of various insects and worms. If the available "food" runs out, then the network of tunnels immediately begins to expand.

The length of underground passages can reach hundreds of meters. They can be divided into two types:

1. Moves are located almost at the very surface of the earth. Their purpose is to find food. These are kind of traps for worms and insects. It is known that a mole can exist without food for only 10-15 hours.
2. Moves of the second type go deeper and serve as a dwelling place for animals. Since these animals do not fall into hibernation, deep passages serve as a great place for them to survive the cold.

In addition, the animals naturally need water, so separate passages break through directly to nearby water bodies.

Favorite habitats of moles and their types

The favorite habitat of the mole family is deciduous as well as deciduous forest lands. In addition, moles can be safely called the sworn enemies of gardeners, because searches for prey often lead them to gardens and fields - the main habitat of earthworms and other insects. Their networks of underground tunnels cause a huge variety of problems: from damage to the appearance of the landscape and the formation of earthen hills on it to the destruction of many cultivated plants. Moles love fertile soil and cannot be found in peaty or, for example, sandy soil.

But, oddly enough, the presence of moles in gardens and in garden plots also benefits: from loosening the soil becomes softer and more moisturized, and harmful insects gradually begin to disappear from the garden, causing irreparable harm to plants. Although moles destroy root system, plants and roots in their food ration are not included.

Thus, the main habitats of the colonies are:

1. Meadows.
2. Forests (mainly young birch and deciduous copses).
3. Glades.
4. Areas in the vicinity of carriageways.
5. Garden plots.
6. City parks.

Preference is given to places that are well warmed up by the sun's rays and contain a large number of humus and food (worms, larvae, insects). Also important role the humidity of the area plays: it should be moderate.

Moles will definitely bypass dense large forests, pine forests, swamps and areas of soil on which crops with a strong root system grow.

The area chosen for residence must provide food all year round... The fact is that during dry periods and during frosts, worms move deeper into the ground and become inaccessible to blind hunters.

The choice of a place to live, among other things, depends on the temperature and the frequency of precipitation. If the selected area is accompanied by unstable climate indicators, the animals will tend to move closer to the forest, where the ground freezes less during the winter, and moisture is better preserved in the summer months.

Moles are very sensitive, so they themselves regulate descent into lowlands or resettlement for more high points until the conditions become comfortable.

What do moles eat and what they eat

Scientists have long had an interest in the diet of moles. In the course of numerous studies, it was found that what moles eat is exclusively of animal origin. Plant fibers enter the body of animals either accidentally or in the stomachs of eaten worms. And even after entering the body of a mole, the vegetation cannot be digested and simply leaves the body.

The search for food is carried out by digging more and more new passages, when there is no one to hunt in the old ones. In the case of a shortage of the usual food - worms, insects and larvae - moles eat small vertebrates and even frogs and rats.

During permanent work underground, moles spend a huge amount of energy, which requires impressive amounts of food to restore. The animals have a very good metabolism, which also affects their appetite. During the day, the individual absorbs the amount of food in excess of it own weight(70-140 grams). If the mole is very hungry, then the caught prey in the form of, for example, a worm is eaten whole on the surface of the earth. If the hunger is not brutal, the prey is carried away and eaten inside the passage.

The mole's metabolism is so good that the animal can digest 50 grams of food in just 30 minutes. And this is provided that the animal's stomach holds only 20 grams. After 4-6 hours, he is already ready for the next meal. On average, several hours pass between such feedings, which are accompanied by a drowsy state.

In the cold season, the animals are less voracious, since they dig less, respectively, spend less energy.

Excavators are very resourceful in securing supplies for the winter. They catch worms and then just bite their head. This immobilizes the worms, but keeps them alive. In this form, the worms are stacked in rows along the walls of the passages.

In terms of water, moles are also very greedy. Therefore, they invariably live near any body of water to which access is provided.

Reproduction

Fertilization of females begins around the end of April - beginning of May. The gestation period is 5-6 weeks. In one litter, an average of 5-6 mole is born. One female is most often limited to one litter per year. But in some areas there are two litters (for example, in Belarus).

The young are fed for 4 weeks. As they grow older, young animals become aggressive towards each other. At the age of 2 months, their independent lifestyle begins.

Mass dispersal of individuals occurs from the beginning of July and ends at the end of August. This process proceeds rather quickly, since average speed movement of animals - 5 meters per minute. In 20 hours, young individuals are able to cover a distance of 650 meters. Adults, on the other hand, develop a dispersal rate of up to 50 meters in 20 minutes.

The following four species of the mole family are widespread in Russia:

It would seem that the answer to this question is obvious: because he lives underground - it's dark there, there is still no point in sight, why should he good vision? By the way, contrary to the common misconception, moles have eyes, but they are very small and practically do not see. Other features of the anatomy of a mole are also adapted to life underground: a pile that grows straight - and therefore freely tilts in any direction (try how to move in the soil, when “always against the grain”! , an elongated head, spatulate paws ... "For what" is clear, but how did the moles become like this?

Different answers are possible to this question.

One of them is from the category of etiological myths (this is the name of the category of myths explaining the origin of certain signs in animals and plants): moles spoiled the paradise plantations, and for this the Almighty punished them, depriving them of sight and expelling them from the surface of the earth ... in other versions of the legend it is specified that the moles will be forgiven and get sight back if each of them digs as many bumps as there are stars in the sky ... Of course, legends are interesting from the point of view of folklore - but hardly anyone today will take them seriously.

Another answer is creationist: God made the mole so because he planned to settle it underground. But you and I are not rabid creationists, but reasonable people who understand that God is not available human cognition, and therefore it is impossible to directly see the "hand of God" in nature, one can only cognize the laws of nature that He established ...

The mechanisms by which living things acquire certain characteristics explain evolutionary theories, the "pioneer" of which - contrary to popular misconception - was not Charles Darwin. The first evolutionary theory was created by the French scientist Jeante Baptiste Lamarck (17744-1829). This theory is based on two laws: the law of exercise and non-exercise of organs and the law of inheritance of acquired traits. In other words, if an organ is exercised, it develops, and develops in a certain way, and the signs acquired as a result of exercise are inherited: for example, an anteater, catching ants in the depths of an anthill, had to constantly stretch out his tongue, which made it thin and long - and the next generation was born with more subtle and long tongues etc. - until the anteater's tongue took on the form we know today.

Thus, from the point of view of Lamarck's theory, the eyes of the mole - in the conditions of underground life - were not trained at all, and therefore each new generation was born with smaller and poorly seeing eyes.

Lamarck's theory has long been rejected by science. However, to understand its inconsistency, one does not need to be a scientist: it is enough to recall the breeds of dogs, which traditionally - from generation to generation - have their tails cut off (thereby depriving them of the opportunity to exercise their tail). Did this cause puppies to be born with shorter tails? Meanwhile, according to Lamarck, the tails of these breeds should have disappeared altogether. In addition, there are signs that cannot be trained in any way - well, how, pray tell, train the color of the coat?

A different answer is given by the theory of evolution, dating back to Charles Darwin (1809-1882). At the birth of each new generation of animals, random changes occur (geneticists explained that they are explained by mutations - which is why 5% of children are always born with some kind of abnormality, although their parents did not drink, did not smoke and did not visit the zones radioactive contamination), due to which the animals acquire new characters. If this trait does not meet the "requirements" that the habitat imposes, such an animal will die without having time to leave offspring, or will be "rejected" by individuals of the opposite sex. But if a trait is for some reason beneficial, if it gives some advantage - its owner will have a better chance of surviving, leaving offspring - and, accordingly, passing on this trait by inheritance. The same will happen with its descendants - so the owners of the new trait will multiply until they completely fill the ecological niche, replacing the predecessor species.

From this point of view, individuals with smaller eyes once appeared among the ancestors of modern moles ... it would have been impossible to live with this on the surface - they would have eaten it right there, but underground the eyes are not just not needed - they interfere: the earth got in - inflammation began - sepsis - death. Of course than smaller size eyes - the less the likelihood of such a sad development of events - so individuals with small eyes survived (and most importantly - gave offspring!). True, such eyes do not really see - but for survival underground it was not critical.

This is how evolutionary mechanisms work - and everyone is equal before them: both people and moles!

One of the most unusual and amazing creatures living in our area can rightfully be considered an ordinary mole.

This underground animal is so distinctive that even a child can hardly confuse it with another animal. And today we will talk about this interesting character, try to get answers to questions, what does a mole eat, what moles look like, how many years they live; and we will also learn what harm moles bring, and how an ordinary blind mole can benefit the soil.

In short, everything about moles is in this review.

Miners in the animal world

These animals, of course, do not tend to mine coal or ore, but such a comparison with the most underground profession in the world is very appropriate. So, what is this digger.

Common moles are mammals of the insectivorous order. In fact, already at the beginning of the article, we answered one of the main questions about what the mole eats.

Appearance and structural features

The appearance of this animal very smoothly emerges from the lifestyle that is characteristic of all their species. This beast is difficult to confuse with any mouse-like rodent, despite some similarities.

One glance at this digger is enough to understand that the mole is an underground animal. The animal has a very compact body, the length of which usually does not exceed 20 cm, most often less.

It has a very thick cover of straight-growing short hair, which does not resist the animal when moving underground. This is very important, because we agree that it would not be easy to move in an environment of constant friction with a thick mane.

Also, this soil mammal has an extremely sensitive olfactory system, despite the fact that its eyes are either completely absent or extremely poorly developed. Some species still have eyes, but this is a reduced organ that can only distinguish light from darkness.

Most species have no eyes at all, and only small dimples can be seen in their place.

The answer to the question why moles are blind animals can be considered that natural environment, which nature has determined for these animals as a home. After all, a mole underground does not need sharp eyes, it is good enough for him to hear and feel vibrations.

And here we can put a “like” to mother nature instead of a grateful mole, because the burrowing animal got an incredibly sensitive hearing, and was even given the ability to capture ultrasound. This animal is also able to feel the slightest vibrations in the soil due to the presence of small vibrissa hairs on its muzzle.

Moreover, moles have such hairs even on the tip of the tail, which allows the animal to move backwards if necessary. Thus, the blind mole "sees" without sight underground no worse than ours on its surface, and his eyes are replaced by others extremely developed organs smell and touch.

However, these are not all signs. underground dweller... This animal also has a very digging type of 4 limbs, especially the front two legs, the appearance of which and the structure perfectly explain how the mole digs its endless tunnels.

Habitat

It must be said that the diversity of species of this taxon is not as dense as, for example, in the same rodents.

However, not only in our European parts CIS countries, but also in Asia, North America, South Africa and even in Australia you can find representatives of this burrowing family.

Living environment and lifestyle

Well, here we are not going to be original. Everyone has seen wormholes on the ground, and therefore it is easy to conclude that the habitat of a mole is soil. If we see such small mounds of earth in the meadow, there is no doubt that the digger lives in the bowels of the lawn.

The animals prefer to live in moist, loose soil. Such land is easier to dig, and, of course, this digger always tries to find such a convenient underground environment for living.

However, in the absence of this, the animal does not lose heart, and is quite capable of living in a denser soil environment, just in this case, the length of the tunnels dug by him is not so great.

If the soil is what you need, the blind mole is able to break through rather long underground passages, dotting the surface of the earth with molehills, that is, holes for oxygen to enter the burrow system, as well as for throwing out excess building material (earth).

Holes of moles can extend for hundreds of meters, and such underground passages dug by moles are complex labyrinths, looped into a single system.

Diet: benefit or harm to humans?

it's time to answer the question of what the mole eats. As already mentioned, insects are the main food for these digging animals. However, their diet can be slightly expanded on occasion.

Moles eat any available animal food. These predators can even feed on small animals such as mice or frogs.

I must say that this insectivorous predator has a very fast metabolism, and for this reason it is rather gluttonous. Weighing 80-90 grams, many animals of this family are capable of absorbing up to 140 grams of organic food. You will not immediately find such gluttons who would eat all day long.

It is also necessary to dispel the myth that these diggers eat vegetables and root crops, spoiling the harvest. This is not entirely true. What the mole eats, we have already disassembled. Now let's say a few words about the relationship between this animal and man.

The war that man has declared on this animal has been going on for more than a decade, and the reason for everything is that a blind mole digs the ground, and, laying its holes, thereby touches the roots and tubers.

Also, in pursuit of prey, digging the ground next to the root systems of plants, the animals also grab pieces of roots or harvest items, thus falling out of favor with farmers.

Such an animal, which seems to feed on insects, may well significantly reduce the yield of the same nightshade.

At the same time, a blind mole can not only harm, but also be beneficial. These animals dig the ground, thus loosening the soil, and thanks to the molehills, air gets in, and the soil is enriched with oxygen in the depths. These are the benefits of moles to the soil.

Life span

You need to know the enemy by sight.

A mole in nature has many enemies. These are all kinds of predators, such as:

• foxes;
• cats;
• raccoons and raccoon dogs;
• ferrets;
• affection;
• martens;
• hedgehogs;
• storks;
• owls;
• hawks;
• crows.

Any of these creatures, if they do not eat moles, can easily kill the animal on occasion, like the same dogs or domestic cats. But birds and mustelids, especially the little weasel, are among those who eat animals. Weasel can even chase an underground digger in his own tunnel.

Well, we must not forget about the very tense relationship between man and this animal. And also here it is worth saying that moles always live alone, and the penetration of an intruder into someone else's territory can also end very badly for him.

In general, this animal lives for 4-6 years, if you're lucky. Which is extremely rare, as with all wild animals. Most often, the animal can live for 2-3 years, after which, one way or another, it finds its end.

Conclusion

So, we met these cute underground creatures. Now we know what moles eat, what they look like, where they live, whom they are afraid of.

As well as we have knowledge about why most animals lack eyes, what benefits these animals bring to the soil, and how the meadow mole is harmful.

• Does the mole have eyes or have they completely disappeared in the course of natural evolutionary selection;
• Are the moles completely blind or is it a myth;
• Why evolution has been so "unfavorable" to moles, making them practically blind;
• What is the difference between eyes different types moles and is blindness normal for animals leading an underground lifestyle ...

There is a widespread misconception that a mole has no eyes and therefore this animal is completely blind. It is understandable why this opinion developed and received support among the broad masses: they say, the animal lives in its dark dungeons all its life, and it seems that it does not need eyes at all, since they still cannot see anything in the pitch darkness of the underground passages.

However, if you, suppose, catch a mole in a garden plot and decide to take a closer look to see if it has eyes, then ridiculous doubts about their absence will immediately disappear ...

Do moles have eyes and why do people think they don't?

In fact, the mole has eyes. The usual European type they are easy to see if you take the animal and push the fur just above the nose, between the bridge of the nose and the place of the intended location of the ears (by the way, the mole is not visible either). Here, tiny slits in the skin are found among the fur, and already under them are, in fact, the eyes.

If there is a live animal in the hand, then in most cases its eyes will be open and, forgive the pun, they will be visible to the naked eye.

On a note

In some species of moles, as well as in some geographic populations of the European mole, the eyelids grow together, and the eyes are constantly under the skin. But at the same time, the eyes themselves are there and do not disappear anywhere.

At the same time, if you do not purposefully look for tiny eyelids in an animal, then it can be difficult to notice them. There is nothing surprising in the fact that many gardeners, having caught an animal on the site, glance at it with a cursory glance and do not find eyes (and also do not find ears). Usually a cold corpse is already in the hands of the gardener, and therefore it is quickly concluded that the mole has no eyes at all, and the former pest of the beds is thrown onto the compost heap.

By the way, one must also take into account the fact that the authority of the gardeners themselves, who really held in their hands even dead, but real moles, is often higher among ordinary people than, say, the authority of an armchair scientist who is considered a "bookworm". The argument “I overfished hundreds of these moles and held them in my hands, but I never saw an eye in any one” sounds more convincing to the average citizen than “science has proven…”. And therefore, the opinion that moles do not have eyes is quite widespread, although with a certain efficiency it is eradicated from young shoots even at school.

So, we have established that the mole still has eyes. You can even see them in the photo below:

Therefore, talking about the complete disappearance of the eyes of a mole is not correct. At least this is somewhat premature.

Below we will talk more about the fact that at the moment, apparently, there is an evolutionary disappearance of the eyes of moles. This process is a form of natural selection that ensures the greatest adaptability of animals to the conditions of their habitat.

But before delving into the jungle of evolution, let's first try to look at the world through the eyes of a mole ...

What the eyes of a mole look like and what they are capable of

The eyes of most species of moles are relatively small in size and are almost completely hidden in the coat. In the European species, they are closed with movable eyelids, and most often they are in such a closed state.

The diameter of the animal's eyes is about 1-2 mm. In general, the structure of the retina is the same as in most other mammals. The eye itself contains approximately 2,000 ganglion cells, and the optic nerve has approximately 3,000 axons.

The photo clearly shows how small in size the eyes of an ordinary (European) mole are:

At the same time, mole rods and cones, standard for mammals, are absent, and all photoreceptors have practically the same shape, are very small, and are completely atrophied along the periphery of the eye. This is the specificity of the animal's vision:

• The mole has daytime vision, albeit not as effective as that of a person, but sufficient for its own needs;
• The animal can distinguish some contrasting colors;
• The animal does not see the contours of objects, but reacts well to a pronounced change in illumination. At least under the conditions of experiments, animals successfully solve problems of distinguishing between light and darkness;
• Moles see moving objects. Some scientists are inclined to believe that it was the detection of predators with the help of vision that provided the moles with the preservation of the ability to see, albeit weak, but nevertheless.

Interestingly, even in moles, whose eyes are hidden under the skin, they also see and provide the animal with the ability to distinguish between light and darkness. Just as we can see a source of bright light even through dense fabric, so moles can see it even through the skin in front of our eyes.

Therefore, by the way, it makes no sense to talk about hypertrophied farsightedness or myopia of moles. With their rather mediocre visual abilities, the distance at which they see is practically irrelevant (it's like calling someone a nearsighted with a blindfold over their eyes).

The photo below shows the Eastern mole:

It is interesting

There is also interesting myth that the mole sees other moles well because of the special structure of its eyes. In fact, with the help of only sight, a mole cannot distinguish its brother from, for example, a rat (just a neighbor) or an ermine (already dangerous predator). Identification of an animal both underground and above it occurs in a mole due to its sense of smell.

It is known that moles, like some other insectivorous animals, have a strong musky odor. Although in strength it cannot be compared with the stench from shrews, it is quite enough for one individual to smell the other at a sufficiently large distance, especially given their excellent sense of smell.

Why does a mole need eyesight?

So, let's see why the mole needs eyesight in its dark underground passages.

We draw conclusions from what was said previously:

1. First of all, the eyes of the mole are needed in order to navigate in space, if it gets out on the surface of the earth. Here he can understand that he did not just fall into some wide tunnel under the ground, but that he got out on sunlight... Even on a moonlit night, the animal can distinguish a dungeon from an open space;
2. Even underdeveloped eyes in a mole allow it to notice moving prey - earthworms, insects, small lizards and frogs;
3. With the help of their eyes, moles see predators entering their tunnels. As a rule, if such a predator climbed into the wormhole or dug it deliberately to capture the animal, the owner of the dungeon will most likely be killed. However, if the danger happened to be in the tunnel by accident, and the predator does not plan to look for and kill the mole, but only wants to get out, then the mole itself has the opportunity to retreat from the dangerous area and hide in other passages.

In addition, the eyes help the mole to orientate itself in space when the animal makes passages under the snow in winter (it is usually quite light here). And also vision helps when crossing small rivers and other water obstacles - star-nosed moles, for example, swim well and can even hunt under water.

Perhaps it is precisely due to the fact that moles have eyes and help them survive in the harsh and merciless natural conditions, they still have not had time to completely disappear. Although, apparently, natural selection goes precisely towards the complete degeneration of the organs of vision in these animals.

Degeneration of animal eyes as a form of natural selection

From the point of view of evolutionary theory, the gradual simplification of the structure of the eyes of a mole and the loss of many functions by them is a way of adapting to the lifestyle that this animal leads. Moreover, the regression of the animal's vision system is associated not only with the absence of the need for a clear visual picture, but also with the harm of full-fledged eyes underground.

For example:

• If the mole had normal large eyes, which, say, rats or mice have, then with the constant digging of underground passages, earth and dust would fall into them. This would lead to eye contamination, inflammation, suppuration and death of the animals. How smaller eyes, the more difficult it is to damage them, and when they are constantly closed for centuries, they are reliably protected from external influences;
• Since the sense of smell is much more important for moles, most of the analyzers in the brain are responsibly focused precisely on processing information from the olfactory receptors (in star-nosed moles, sense of touch also plays an important role). Involving the vast structures of the brain in processing visual information would not be rational.

The photo below shows the eye of the Iberian mole:

By and large, moles at this stage of their evolution move towards complete disappearance eye. This form of natural selection according to different classifications is:

• Driving - with it, the survival advantage is in animals deviating from the norm of development of one or another trait. The norm is mainly open, not very small eyes, but in the case of moles, individuals with constantly decreasing eyes that close eyelids often survived. That is, natural selection drives these animals towards complete degeneration of vision.
• Cutting off, since individuals with "normal" eyes more often died due to eye lesions.

By the way, it is these forms of selection that are characteristic of almost all animals with one or another reduced organs. Including for people who have practically degenerated muscles that move the ear, or, for example, the tailbone, in the place of which the ancestors had a tail.

If you look at the whole family of moles, and even better - at the entire detachment of shrews, then the gradual reduction and disappearance of eyes in species leading an underground lifestyle becomes clearly visible.

The eyes of different types of moles

Different relatives of the European mole, familiar to us, have eyes either the same as his, or even more reduced and do not even open at all.

For example:

1. In Caucasian and blind moles, they are hidden under the skin and practically do not see. With their help, the animal, at best, can only distinguish daylight from darkness;
   
2. In a moger - similarly, the eyes are covered with skin (the photo below shows a Japanese moguer);
   
3. In the Siberian mole, the eyelids open, and the eyes see in about the same way as in the European mole. The eyes of the American star-nosed and shrew moles, as well as the Townsend mole, have the same eyes;
   
4. In the Chinese shrew, the eyes are developed normally, in much the same way as in the shrews. But in general, in its own way appearance and the way of life, this mole occupies an intermediate position between moles and shrews. On his example, the transition from terrestrial animals of this order to underground ones is clearly visible.
   

It can be concluded that the evolution of moles began precisely with shrews. Their eyes are small, vision is weak, but much more developed than that of moles. They also have a well-developed sense of smell. These animals hunt mainly in dense grass, forest floor, under stones and snags.

Most likely, the process of evolution proceeded as follows: in ancient times, individual populations of shrews, finding themselves in suitable conditions with soft turfed soil, began to specialize in foraging under stones, under moss and under leaves, first simply by raking the crumbling soil in search of food, and then more and more making moves here. Gradually, these passages became the place of the main stay of animals, rest, breeding and hunting. The need for vision began to fall, and contaminated eyes led to the elimination of individuals with large eyeballs and weak eyelids in the population.

Today, the long-tailed mole, which looks more like a shrew, is on the first rung of the evolutionary ladder to the dungeons, common mole- on the second, and the Caucasian or blind - on the third. Golden moles and marsupial moles are even more adapted to life underground, but they are already representatives of other orders. Looking at them, however, one can imagine what the "moles of the future" will look like in a few million years.

In the photo - the Cape (common) golden mole:

It is interesting

In the order of shrews, there are several more species of animals with highly reduced vision - desman. Their eyes are clearly visible, but they do not distinguish the contours of objects, they are very short-sighted, and the animals rely mainly on touch and smell when hunting. But given the way of life of desman, they should be considered a parallel branch of the development of the ancestors of the present-day shrews, whose representatives have switched not to an underground (like moles) way of life, but to a semi-aquatic one.

All these conclusions are also confirmed by the fact that representatives of other orders of mammals, passing to the underground lifestyle, also lose their sight, and their eyes are reduced. For example:

1. Mole rats are representatives of the order of rodents. They lead an underground lifestyle, their eyes are completely hidden under the skin;
2. Baby blindflies are also rodents and also prefer to live underground in burrows. Nevertheless, their eyes, although small, are clearly visible and see well;
3. Zokors, very close to mole rats. They have poorly visible, but seeing eyes;
4. Golden mole, closer to hedgehogs. Their eyes are at a depth of about 4-5 mm from the surface of the skin and see absolutely nothing;
5. Marsupial moles, in which the eyes are not visible at all, but in their place there are pigmented spots. It is noteworthy that these animals lack even the optic nerve.

These are all examples of feature convergence. Rodents, moles, golden moles and marsupial moles have nothing to do with each other, and none of this group of animals could have descended from another. The general reduction of vision in them developed due to adaptation to a similar lifestyle, which means that it is the loss of eyes (with a simultaneous aggravation of other sense organs) that contributes to the survival of these animals.

An interesting video demonstrating how quickly a mole is able to burrow into the ground

Eastern mole devours an earthworm

The mole family is distributed throughout Eurasia and North America... In America, moles appeared during the existence of the Beringian Bridge, since they are absent in South America. This could only happen if at the time of the mole migration to a neighboring continent South America was separated from the Northern Strait. Mole sizes vary from 5 to 21 cm in different species. The weight of the animal depends on the size: 9-170g. The animal most familiar to the inhabitants of Russia, it is also European, has a length of 12-16 cm and weighs 70-119 g.

Russian species

There are 4 species of real moles on the territory of the Russian Federation:

• common / European (Talpa europaea);
• Siberian / Altai (Talpa altaica);
• blind (Talpa caeca);
• Caucasian (Talpa caucasica).

In addition to four types of real moles, on Far East there are two more species from the mole family, but belonging to the genus Moger: Moguera great / Ussuriyskaya and Moguera Japanese. Like the Mogers, they live underground and are very similar to the former due to the same lifestyle and diet. From external differences Mogers have only a brownish brown coloration. All other differences between moles and mogers can only be detected by a specialist after opening the animal. If there is no scale, the animals in the photo cannot be distinguished from each other. A "general" photo of a mole and a moguera is below.

Interesting!

Greater Moguera is the largest representative of the mole family weighing up to 300 g and with a body length of up to 21 cm.

General description of animals of the genus mole:

• the body is cylindrical, elongated, with short fur;
• front legs are spatulate, with powerful claws;
• strong, flat claws;
• the hind legs are short, weaker than the front ones;
• the skull is small, conical when viewed from above and narrow, straight when viewed from the side;
• the nose of the mole is transformed into a small proboscis;
• there are no auricles;
• , some are covered with a leather film.

The number of teeth in the mouth of a mole varies from person to person. And this main feature, by which you can determine the type of animal.

The peculiarity of the fur of all moles is that it grows straight up. This direction of hair growth allows the animal to move equally easily in underground passages, both forward and backward. The hairs are arranged in such a way as to facilitate the movement of the animal.

European / Common

The range of the European mole is almost all of Eurasia: in the north, the border runs through the taiga, in the south along the forest-steppe. The western border is the Atlantic Ocean, the eastern border is the Lena River basin.

• The animal is 12-16 cm long and has a short tail (on average 3 cm).
• Average weight: 70-119 g.
• The eyes of the European mole are noticeable. Their size is about 0.5-1 mm.
• The color is matte black. The coat on the belly is slightly lighter than the main color. Young animals are more dull in color.

Interesting!

The hairs on the tail perform a tactile function like vibrissae, making it easier for the mole to move backwards.

Altai / Siberian

In this animal, sexual dimorphism is more pronounced than in the common mole.

• Females are 13-17 cm long and weigh 70-145 g, males are 13.5-19.5 cm and 75-225 g, respectively.
• The eyes are better developed than those of the European species and even have movable eyelids.
• Monochromatic colors can be lead gray, or black with a brown tint. Dark specimens predominate in mountainous areas, and gray ones in plains.

On a note!

The Siberian mole has valuable fur, the length of which reaches 12 mm in winter.

Habitat - western and middle part of Siberia.

Blind / Small

The smallest of the Russian representatives of the mole. Length 8-12 cm, tail 2-3 cm. Weight up to 30 g. The eyes are closed with thin skin. Color from black to dark brown.

Habitat - Caucasus. If the area intersects with the area of ​​the Caucasian mole, then the blind man digs passages at a lower level. - beetle larvae.

Caucasian

It looks like an ordinary one, but the eyes are hidden under the skin. Length 10-14 cm, tail 2.5-3.2 cm, weight 40-95 g. Fur is black.

Habitat - Caucasian ridge and the surrounding area.

Lifestyle

Moles are insectivores leading year-round active image life. The life of a mole in nature is completely underground. Even at a depth of 1.5-2 m. Due to the inaccessibility of wormholes, everything about moles is not known even to scientists studying these animals.

The environment where moles live presupposes the presence of loose, moist soil. The depth is only 5-20 cm. They are located in the upper loose layer of soil, as the mole digs the ground with its paws. Moles cannot gnaw through passages in the ground, that is what they are. Animals push the excess soil to the surface, forming moleholes - holes, if hit into which you can break your leg.

The mole will climb to the depth in three cases:

1. Dig a passage under a strip of trampled earth and for breeding. If the animal digs a passage under the footpath, it can go deep into the ground by 0.5-1 m.
2. The female, in order to protect the offspring, arranges the birthing chamber under the roots of trees at a depth of 1.5-2 m.
3. The food went too deep into the drought.

In the absence of an urgent need to bury. moles at what depth they live, on that and make their tunnels. The usual shallow depth of the passages allows the animals to breathe calmly and ventilate their homes.

Interesting!

The Caucasian species is buried to a depth of 1 m in search of food.

In nature, moles are more beneficial and harm from them is minimal. Mole tunnels help to aerate the soil, which improves plant growth. But garden owners see them as their enemies and are constantly trying.

Why are such moves needed

Moles make forage passages for themselves in the surface layer of the soil due to the fact that their main food is earthworms... These invertebrates eat rotting organic matter, which is found only in the surface layers. For the same reason, moles settle in areas with moist soil. In addition to worms, moles eat the larvae of pests that live in the ground. Pests prefer delicate roots of cultivated plants, and earthworms prefer manured garden soil. Moles follow their food to the dacha and to the garden.

Interesting!

On occasion, the mole can eat a vole mouse that has fallen into the feed passage.

Adults have a bad temper and do not tolerate rivals in their feeding area. They can eat a weaker relative or cub.

The animal eats 50-60 g of worms and larvae per day. Due to the high metabolism and significant energy consumption for digging passages, moles can do without food for no more than 14 hours. When on hunger strike, they die of hunger for longer than this time.

Contrary to misconceptions, these animals do not eat plant roots (they can be swallowed by accident) and would even be useful. But in pursuit of prey, they turn out the plantings in the beds, destroying the seedlings. Because of this, summer residents do not like underground residents.

Moles do not hibernate, but in winter it is difficult for them to get food, since earthworms go deeper. Moles cannot burrow to such a depth. And above the ground freezes to the state of a stone.

To survive winter period, the animals make supplies from earthworms. The mole can only feed on live prey. The animals solve the problem of preserving winter stocks ingeniously: they bite off the worms' heads. The headless earthworm does not die, remaining alive throughout the entire cold period. But the worm cannot escape either. These invertebrates are unable to move without a head.

Reproduction

Moles breed once a year. The gestation period for pups differs from species to species. The Siberian mole has a period when the embryo stops developing for some time. The breeding period for "Russian" moles is different:

• European mates in March-April. The female gives birth after 35-40 days. Cubs are blind and naked. In a litter 3-9 molehills weighing 2-3 g. The female gives birth once a year. Only one fifth of adult moles can produce a second litter in the summer. At 1.5 months, the young leave the family.
• Siberian mates in June, but the female gives birth on next year in April-May, since the Altai species has diapause and a total pregnancy of the mole lasts 270 days. There are 3-6 cubs in the litter. In June, young animals classify themselves as adults and leave the nest. But sexual maturity in females occurs only after a year, in males after two.
• The blind mate in February - March still under the snow. The mole carries offspring for 30 days. The litter contains from 1 to 5 pups. These animals grow to the size of an adult in a month, after which they leave the nest.
• Caucasian also mates in February. The female brings the mole in March. There are 1-3 cubs in a brood. After 40 days, they become independent.

With such a small number of calves and breeding only once a year, the number of moles on the territory can increase very quickly. Since the mole gives birth deep underground, its offspring are not threatened by any predators and all the cubs remain alive.

On a note!

Until the mole comes to the surface, it has no natural enemies.

But how long a representative of a mole lives depends on its species. The life expectancy of the common mole is 4-5 years, the Altai mole is 5 years, the blind one is 3-4 years old, the Caucasian mole is 5 years.

Danger to humans

He will not attack a person. It is unlikely to pose a danger to humans due to its very high metabolism. An animal with a dangerous disease will die before it “finds” a person. And the question "does the mole bite" remains open. Theoretically, yes, since he has teeth. In fact, even caught moles do not express a desire to bite the one who caught them, but they make sounds similar to the squeak of a rat. Either from panic, or trying to scare the "predator".