Mole
It's easy to know mole when you first meet him: he has tightly knit, small body of 10-15cm length. Color is black. The head is wedge-shaped, no ears, and it's hard to see his eyes. Also mole has a very short tail. Paws of this animal are huge, the front paws are turned out.
Mole does not see with his own eyes further his nose. That is why among the people appeared an expression "blind like a mole". But moving nose-proboscis allows the mole to smell a worm up to a meter below the surface. Mole paw looks like a shovel: wide with powerful claws. There is strongly enlarged bone near the big toe, due to which the palm becomes even wider. A mole collarbone is also very large, has the same size, as humerus bone. There are powerful muscles on the collarbone, which activates the instrument of labor of this digger. At the same time, because of such improved, similar to the instrument of labor paw, a mole partially lost the mobility of his front legs. He can not just put them on the ground with palms - they are always turned out. All these distinguishing features of the body structure help mole to survive underground.
Moles are active at any time of the day, they do not distinguish day and night. During his life, mole rips system of underground passages, which can reach several kilometers in length. Diameter of dug passages is about 5 cm. Most of dug moves - are temporary, broad passages. They are usually located near the surface of the earth, because the earth there is looser and there is more food here. Exactly during the digging of passages mole pushes a handfuls of earth on the surface.
Temporary moves do not matter for a mole, while permanent burrows he regularly cleans and cares for them. Nesting chamber is located among the many moves, somewhere underground.
Many people believe that mole is exceptionally underground inhabitant. Yet this is not the case. Mole spends a lot of time on the ground surface. Especially it concerns of young moles, when it comes time to say goodbye to his native hole. On the surface moles move quickly enough between clumps and roots, clutching by their paws for minor roughness. If it will be necessary, the mole can swim across a small river.
Food of mole - it's mostly earthworms. It should be said that the mole - a very voracious animal. This is because while digging underground passages, he spends a lot of energy which needs to be constantly replenished. Mole is preparing a stock of earthworms for winter. System of stock creating is quite unusual: a mole catches the worm bites his nerves and drags alive, but paralyzed victim to his storage.
Moles live alone. Each mole has his own system of passages. Passages of various moles can sometimes overlap. However, neither mole will not tolerate a stranger in his house. Friendly contacts of moles can only be at a meeting of female and male during mating. Female mole suits nest chambers of the grass and leaves. Usually 4-6 cubs are born. A month later the mole helpless cubs become large, almost adults. They leave the female and begin to arrange their lives.
Mole has only some enemies among the animals. Moles are distinguished by unpleasant odor, because of this martens, minks, ferrets and cats do not like moles. But the birds of prey will not refuse of such delicacy.