Moles are small, subterranean mammals adapted for a life spent almost entirely underground. They are often mistaken for shrews or rodents, but their unique appearance sets them apart as members of the family Talpidae, an ancient group of insectivores. Their body features characteristics optimized for aggressive burrowing and navigating dark, confined spaces. Understanding the mole’s appearance involves examining its overall shape, powerful digging tools, and highly sensitive sensory apparatus.
General Body Structure and Size
The mole’s overall body shape is cylindrical, often described as torpedo-like, which is perfectly suited for pushing through soil and moving within narrow tunnels. This compact form minimizes friction and resistance as the animal excavates its underground passages. The tail is generally short and often scantily haired, serving as a tactile and balancing aid as the mole moves in its subterranean environment.
Most common species, such as the European mole, range in length from about 4.5 to 6.3 inches (113 to 159 millimeters), including their short tail. Adult moles typically weigh between 2.5 and 4.5 ounces (72 to 128 grams), with males usually being slightly larger than females. The typical coloration is a dark gray or black, though individuals with coats of brown, ginger, or even albino coloring are occasionally encountered.
Specialized Adaptations for Digging
The most striking visual features of the mole are its specialized forelimbs, which function as powerful digging implements. These forelimbs are short, thick, and permanently rotated outward, with the palms facing backward, resembling a pair of broad paddles or shovels. This anatomical orientation allows the mole to use a powerful, breaststroke-like motion to push soil away from its body and create tunnels.
The hands are exceptionally large and broad, enhanced by an extra bone in the wrist (the prepollex or falciform bone), which acts like an additional digit to increase the surface area for moving earth. The digits are equipped with thick, long, and robust claws used to shear and loosen the soil during excavation. The entire forelimb structure, including the shoulder girdle and humerus, is greatly enlarged to provide attachment sites for the strong muscles required for constant digging.
The neck is notably short and muscular, almost appearing absent, which provides a stable anchor for the powerful thrusting and digging motions of the forelimbs. This short neck facilitates the mole’s ability to use its head and snout to push and compact loose soil, clearing the path ahead.
Unique Fur and Sensory Features
The mole’s coat is distinctively short and dense, with a soft, velvety texture that helps the animal navigate its confined tunnels. Unlike the fur of most surface-dwelling mammals, a mole’s fur lacks a distinct “nap,” meaning the hairs can lie flat in any direction. This unique characteristic allows the mole to move backward as easily as forward without the fur dragging or hindering movement against the tunnel walls.
The mole’s eyes are extremely small, often no more than a millimeter in diameter, and can be hidden within the fur or even beneath a layer of skin in some species. While they have poor visual acuity and cannot form detailed images, these tiny organs are still functional, allowing the mole to detect changes in light intensity. This ability helps the animal distinguish between darkness and the relative brightness of the surface or a breached tunnel.
External ear flaps are absent, preventing soil from entering the ear canal during digging, but the mole’s hearing is still acute. The mole’s primary sensory organ is its elongated, pink, and highly mobile snout. This snout is tipped with thousands of microscopic sensory structures called Eimer’s organs, which are highly sensitive to touch and vibration.
Specialized sensory hairs, or vibrissae, which resemble stiff whiskers, are present on the face, forelimbs, and tail. These hairs constantly brush against the tunnel walls and soil, providing the mole with detailed tactile information and helping it locate prey, primarily earthworms and invertebrates. This system of touch and vibration detection compensates for the mole’s limited vision in the perpetual darkness of its underground home.