04/17/2024
Wildlife Wednesday!
The Eastern Mole, can be found throughout the state. Its habitat consists of lawns, meadows, pastures, agricultural fields and wooded areas.
Eastern moles are small mammals that weigh approximately 4 ounces and are 4-7 inches in length. Their hairless tail is only about 1 to 1 ½ inch long.
Their fur is gray on top and white on the underside, its fur is extremely soft and velvety. They have large, webbed forefeet with sharp claws for digging. The hind feet are small with slender, sharp claws. The feet and snout are light pink colored and nearly hairless. The snout is cone shaped with nostrils on the top and is about ½ inch long. Moles have no external ears and very small eyes that are hidden by their fur.
They are the “goldilocks” of soil, meaning they prefer loamy, well-drained soil that’s not too wet, too rocky, too sandy or has too much clay. “About one acre of good soil habitat can support three to five moles.”
While frustrating to most homeowners, moles are beneficial to have around for their insectivore diet. They eat grubs, termites, spiders, earthworms, beetles, ants, slugs, snails, crickets, and centipedes to name a few.
The female mole has one litter a year and are 3-5 young in size. Litters are born in late February through early June.
Young will stay in the nest until they are about four weeks old. By three months old, they are adult size and they can breed at the end of their first year.
