Moles About Moles
There are seven North American mole species: the eastern mole, hairy-tailed mole, star-nosed mole, broad-footed mole, Townsend's mole, coast mole, and shrew mole. The most wide-ranging is the eastern mole, which is found from eastern Texas, north to southern South Dakota and eastward to the Atlantic Ocean.
Moles have a hairless, pointed snout and small eyes. Eastern moles are insectivores and feed primarily on grubs and earthworms. For the most part, moles live in seclusion and underground burrows and rarely come to the surface. These mammals are solitary and rarely do more than 2 or 3 moles occupy the same burrow system.
Moles have a very high metabolic rate and, therefore, have to consume large amounts of food. The home range of these insectivores is almost 20 times larger than that of a pocket gopher. Our experience in studies of moles on golf courses has shown that an infested area will contain about one mole per acre. Because of the extensive tunneling and length of the tunnels, it may appear that many moles occupy an area.
Moles dig elaborate tunnel systems and have feeding runways barely beneath the grass. That is why a mole on a golf green can stick out like a sore thumb. The ridge is elevated and easily visible. The tunnel system will have many yards of traveling tunnels within several inches of the ground surface. As the weather cools, moles will retreat into their deeper tunnels, up to 5 feet beneath the surface.
Moles tend to be very aggressive and will kill and consume voles or mice that may venture into their tunnels. Numerous studies have been conducted on the food habits of moles. The mammal will consume about 85% of its body weight in food daily. A study on eastern moles revealed that the majority of food found in the stomach contained white grubs and earthworm. Beetles, beetle larvae, and other larvae were also present. Ants, wasps, flies and other various insects were also noted.
