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European Mole — printable fact sheet
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European Mole
Talpa europaea
Talpa europaea is a specialist so extreme that almost every part of it is modified. Its front paws are turned permanently outward, palms facing sideways, and each carries an extra "thumb" — a sickle-shaped bone in the wrist that is not a real digit but broadens the shovel. It sw…
Did you know?
- A single European Mole can eat its own body weight in food each day, consuming hundreds of earthworms, insects, and larvae.
- Molehills are not the tunnels but the spoil: the working tunnel is a permanent trap that intercepts worms falling into it, and the mole patrols it rather than digging afresh each time. Moles are solitary and aggressive, and a tunnel system that looks like a colony is usually the work of one animal. They must eat constantly, dying within a day or so without food, and they work in three-hourly shifts of activity and rest around the clock. Despite being almost blind, a mole can detect the direction of a worm's movement through the soil from the vibration alone.
What I learned
Draw the european mole
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