Fun European Mole Facts For Kids

Look carefully where you are walking, or you will trip over a molehill! Found rarely on the surface of the ground, the European mole is a species that lives in underground tunnels for almost all of its life.

The population of these moles is found throughout Europe, except the southern countries of Europe. The Talpa Europaea is also known by other names, such as the common mole and the northern mole.

Though small in size, this species is actually venomous, capable of paralyzing its victims. This little animal is a big problem to farmers, as they are dangerous agricultural pests. They are known for their grey bodies and sharp claws which help them dig through the earth, creating large tunnel systems.

Amazed learning about the European mole? You might also be interested in reading our pages on the giant ground sloth or the water shrew!

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European Mole Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a European mole?

The European mole (Talpa europaea) is a type of mole.

What class of animal does a European mole belong to?

European moles belong to the class Mammalia.

How many European moles are there in the world?

There is no estimate of the population of these moles spread across their distribution.

Where does a European mole live?

The population of northern moles is found and distributed throughout the regions of temperate Europe, extending from Great Britain in the west to Russia in the east. However, they are not present in southern Europe.

What is a European mole's habitat?

The European moles spend most of their lifetime underground, in tunnel systems. In the days of spring and summer, the younger moles leave their mothers’ comfortable burrows and set out on a journey to discover other territories for themselves.

They can either use the pre-existing tunnels or make new ones themselves, extending the existing tunnel system. Thus, they require soil that is burrow-able, such as those in pastures, fields, or woodlands. Each burrow is lined with plant litter.

They also spend a good amount of time near water streams, sewers, and drainage lines, but do not really inhabit places permanently which have really dry or flooded soils. However, if their area becomes damp with a lot of water, they move to the drier regions.

There is a constant transfer of tunnels within the tunnel system. One main factor which affects their choice of habitat is the presence of earthworms. These underground dwellers are well adapted to regions that are rich sources of food.

Who do European moles live with?

All moles, in general, are solitary beings.

How long does a European mole live?

The European mole (Talpa europaea) is known to have a lifespan of up to five years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of the Northern mole is really short, which occurs in the season of spring. It is during the months of March to May when the mating takes place. Generally living alone, at the beginning of the mating season, males begin with the hunt of the female moles. They extend the tunnels in search of their partner.

After the breeding activity, the females undergo a short gestation period, taking about four to five weeks only. As the end of April approaches, these little moles are born.

Usually, only one litter of up to seven baby moles are born in a year. The babies born are hairless, and cannot see too. After about two weeks, the fur begins to grow on their bodies, and after three weeks, their eyes open.

By the beginning of July, the babies are ready to set out on their journey. By the following spring, they are fully matured and ready to breed.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the European mole (Talpa europaea) is of Least Concern according to the IUCN.

European Mole Fun Facts

What do European moles look like?

The common mole sports cylindrical anatomy. Usually, moles have a dark grey velvety fur coat throughout their bodies. However, different hued European moles have also been spotted, being proud owners of black, tan, white, light grey, and even taupe fur.

Female moles have a smaller body than males. These moles have small eyes, hidden behind a layer of fur. They have only around 0.1 oz (3 g) of fat in their body.

Their ears are not externally located but are really small. They have a small pink nose that has sensory whiskers on it.

Their forelimbs are strong and well developed, allowing them to dig well into the earth. These forefeet have five sharp, strong claws used to dig out the soil, and these claws are turned outwards. Their teeth are really sharp and have comparatively larger upper canines to bite down and paralyze earthworms, but not kill them.

How do they communicate?

Moles use their urine to mark down their territories. Male and female moles both have scent glands under their skin. Males have relatively larger glands than their female counterparts, however, these glands of both genders grow larger during the breeding season.

The males let out an unpleasant scent from these glands during the breeding season. These scent glands help them in finding themselves a mate. Some moles are known to let out high-pitched calls as well.

How big is a European mole?

The European mole size is very small. With a body length of 4.3-6.3 in (11-16 cm) long, they are almost the size of a dormouse. Their tails are around 0.98-1.58 in (2.5-4 cm) long.

How fast can a European mole move?

We are unaware of the speeds at which the European mole can move.

How much does a European mole weigh?

The common mole weighs about 2.5-4.6 oz (70-130 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Generally, male moles are called boars, and the females are known as sows.

What would you call a baby European mole?

Little baby moles are called pups.

What do they eat?

Food is usually searched for in three different ways. Firstly, a mole can dig through the earth and feed on invertebrates. Secondly, this species can walk through the tunnels and find something to eat, and thirdly, they can leave their tunnels and search on the ground.

European moles are believed to eat about half as much as their own body weight in food every single day. The most favorite part of the European mole diet is earthworms.

The Talpa Europaea prefer living in a habitat with a good presence of earthworms. However, when kept captive, their diet includes mice, mealworms, liver, maggots, and even shrews. These mammals are also known to eat fish, mollusks, and other small amphibians.

Other insects such as millipedes, centipedes, and even insect larvae join the meal menu of these moles. Some records have also mentioned these moles having lizards, small birds, snakes, and sometimes other moles too in their diet.

Are they dangerous?

Though not a direct threat to humans, the European mole (Talpa Europaea) is considered to be a severe agricultural pest. The burrowing activity, as well as making mounds of molehills, have caused a lot of damage to the agricultural lands.

Serious infestation by these mammals can cause a serious economic catastrophe for farmers. As agricultural spaces have a good amount of worms present, these moles prefer burrowing down to these farmlands to have a good meal.

Additionally, newly sown fields have loose soil, and the tunnels and burrows can be dug easily through them, expanding their burrow system.

This causes great damage to young saplings, as it might damage the roots of the plants, or even pull down the sapling into the mud as the moles burrow through it. The young plants cannot grow in such conditions and would wither and die.

The presence of molehills is also not appreciated. These molehills cause a good amount of damage to harvesting and mowing machinery, leading to delays in harvests and machines breaking down.

Would they make a good pet?

We do not think the European mole (Talpa europaea) would make a good pet, as they prefer staying underground at all times.

Did you know...

This species of the mammal society is a nocturnal being, being highly active after the sun has set. Usually, they have about three periods of break, and three periods of activity in a day.

The European mole is at high risk of predation when it leaves its life underground and crawls on the ground surface. The main ones at risk are the younger ones, who leave their mothers and venture out in searching a territory for themselves.

Some of the main predators of this species include owls, herons, buzzards, gulls, and even ravens. Other members of the mammal society, such as cats and dogs, are also known to catch this species and threaten the safety of their population.

The mole-presence isn’t always bad. As moles are found under the earth’s surface, they improve the soil fertility by aerating it, and even feeding on harmful small pests.

What does the European mole use its hands to do?

Spending the vast majority of its life underground, the European mole has its body adapted to the soil and underground environment. The forelimbs are modified specifically for digging through any type of soil.

This allows them to make burrows wherever they want, under the surface of the ground. These tunnel systems can span up to more than a third of a mile. These underground burrows are also useful in collecting food, storing them as well as for nesting purposes.

As the seasons change, the burrowing activity also has an effect. During the hotter days, food is found easily near the ground surface, whereas deeper digging is required underground during the winter months.

Females are said to build irregular, random tunnel networks in the soil, whereas the male moles follow a certain discipline, first making a straight tunnel and then making branches into it.

Sometimes, this tunneling system can be used throughout the years by many generations of this species. The Talpa Europaea, in specific, is said to build specific structured ‘fortresses’, or mounds, which might contain more than 1652 lb (750 kg) of soil. This fortress houses many nests and tunnels.

Thus, to adjust to such an extensive underground system, the hands of this species of mammal society need to adapt to such activities.

Are European moles poisonous?

Though small in size, the European mole finds its place in the list of venomous creatures. The European mole venom has toxic secretions, found in the mole's saliva, which paralyzes its victims, such as earthworms.

This allows this species to store food to be consumed later. They generally avoid human interaction, but other mammals such as mice and small rabbits are also attacked with this venom and dragged back into the European mole's burrows.

Learn more about some other mammals on our pages featuring amazing elephant shrew facts, or giant flying squirrel facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable European mole coloring pages.