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.
What is a mole?
Moles are small mammals that live primarily underground. 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’s choked vegetation with raw, earthy fanfare.
What does a mole look like?
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 ‘hands’ 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.
Why do moles tunnel underground?
To a mole, a tunnel is a dining room, a larder and a territory to defend. The spoil from the tunnel’s 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 ‘fortress’ – 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.
Soil is always the mole’s 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.
What do moles eat?
That food is often earthworms. Moles are pragmatic worm hunters, incapacitating any which they do not immediately eat and storing them in large caches.
It has been speculated that their saliva contains toxins that paralyse their prey. They also attempt to bite rivals – they opt for a solitary existence when not breeding, and avoid tunnels containing the scent of other moles.
Can moles see in the dark?
Moles feel their way through the darkness with their extraordinary noses, which are home of thousands of Eimer’s organs – nerve-packed structures that function rather like whiskers. Conventional whiskers on their limbs and tail help too.
Are moles under threat?
To some extent, however, the mole’s most serious rival is humans; sometimes our ambitions for the landscape do not accommodate molehills.
While moles are often described as pests, evidence that they cause serious damage is slight. In a garden, it should be possible to rake over an unwanted molehill or shovel the fresh soil away.
Are there really no moles in Ireland?
The short answer is, no.
During the last ice age, most of Ireland and Britain were covered in glaciers. As the ice sheets melted, animals migrated northwards from Europe to repopulate the land. While moles successfully reached Britain, rising sea levels likely occurred too quickly for them to cross the Irish Sea and establish themselves in Ireland.
What is the collective noun for mole?
A group of moles is known as a 'labour,' a fitting term given their industrious nature, with some capable of tunnelling up to 200 meters a day.
Find out more
For the ultimate in mole inspiration, read about the writer Kenneth Grahame, who immortalised this little creature in his book, The Wind in the Willows. Also, learn how to track wildlife in Britain.
