Mole Habitat

Mole Habitat

Moles when they take over a yard or a garden often leave tell-tale signs that are pretty easy to detect. For lawns, one dead giveaway are ridges formed as moles burrow beneath the soil surface.

Moles are found mostly in North America, with a high population density in the United States. As with other critters, moles are of different species, and each specie behaves differently. One thing they all have in common is they are all in the habit of burrowing.

About Moles

Moles have a distinctive physical feature, and are characteristically different from other types of rodents. First, moles, unlike rats, don’t have external ear lobes. Second their entire body is covered in furs, and their eyes are quite small. To locate food, moles depend heavily on their sense of smell as their nose is super sensitive. They are insectivores feeding mostly on beetles, grubs, snails, and earthworm. So far, 6 different species of moles have been spotted in the United States.

Preferred Habitat

Preference for habitat varies across the different species of moles. Some species prefer moist, marsh soil with plenty of water. The star-nosed mole is a typical example. Other specie prefer to live in soils with lots of meadows and trees. In these category is the eastern mole. Like earlier said the one thing they all have in common is their penchant for burrowing. Also, they are highly adaptable. Their ease of adapting to any environment has made it possible for them to live in suburban areas and woodland areas. As adaptable as they are, moles can’t live in a place where food supply is limited. They have a gargantuan appetite – to survive a mole needs to consume food almost the same weight as its body.

Burrowing habit

To find food – insect in this instance – moles need to dig deep into the ground. Their tunnels are often complicated, and measures about an inch in diameter. The tunnels they dig doubles as a nest for them. To make the nest homely, they pad it up with soft grasses and plants. During summer and autumn when the weather is warm, moles burrow closer to the surface of the soil, creating what is known as feeder tunnels in the process. During winter when grubs and worms go deeper into the ground to escape the cold, moles move along with them.

Moles prefer to live a solitary life. You might think that the extensive tunnel that lie in your yard was dug by a family of moles – in actual fact, just one mole dug that tunnel. This is because finding food isn’t that easy, and the only way they can find enough food is by digging extensively into the soil.

How to Identify the Activities of Moles

Where there is food, there you will find moles. And, since insects like grubs and worms love it in wet soils, watering your lawn frequently is an inviting signal for moles. As they burrow through the soil they destroy roots of plants that stand in their way. The result, dead grasses littered across your lawn. Also, when you notice ridges running across your lawn, it’s a sign that a mole is around.