Mole (animal)

They have cylindrical bodies, velvety fur, very small, inconspicuous eyes and ears,[1] reduced hindlimbs, and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging.

The expression "don't make a mountain out of a molehill" (which means "exaggerating problems") was first recorded in Tudor times.

[6] By the era of Early Modern English, the mole was also known in English as mouldywarp or mouldiwarp,[i] a word having cognates in other Germanic languages such as German (Maulwurf),[7] and Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic (muldvarp, moldvarp, mullvad, moldvarpa), where muld/mull/mold refers to soil and varp/vad/varpa refers to throwing, hence "one who throws soil" or "dirt-tosser".

In addition, moles use oxygen more effectively by reusing the exhaled air, and can survive in low-oxygen environments such as burrows.

[9] Moles are omnivores, but their diet primarily consists of earthworms and other small invertebrates found in the soil.

Before eating earthworms, moles pull them between their squeezed paws to force the collected earth and dirt out of the worm's gut.

[11] The star-nosed mole can detect, catch and eat food faster than the human eye can follow.

This means that they share a closer common ancestor with such existing afrosoricids as elephants, manatees and aardvarks than they do with other placental mammals, such as true Talpidae moles.

Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, ordered a mole-fur garment to start a fashion that would create a demand for mole fur, thereby turning what had been a serious pest problem in Scotland into a lucrative industry for the country.

Other species such as weasels and voles may use mole tunnels to gain access to enclosed areas or plant roots.

[18] Other common defensive measures include cat litter and blood meal, to repel the mole, or smoking its burrow.

[18] However, when the tunnels are near the surface in soft ground or after heavy rain, they may collapse, leaving (small) unsightly furrows in the lawn.

By examining molehills for sherds and other small objects, archaeologists can find evidence of human habitation.