mole

Small burrowing mammal with typically dark, velvety fur. Moles grow up to 18 cm/7 in long, and have acute senses of hearing, smell, and touch, but poor eyesight. They have short, muscular forelimbs and shovel-like, clawed front feet for burrowing in search of insects, grubs, and worms. Their fur lies without direction so that they can move forwards or backwards in their tunnels without discomfort. Moles are greedy eaters; they cannot live more than a few hours without food. (Family Talpidae, order Insectivora.)

North American moles differ from those of the Old World in having tusklike front upper incisor teeth. The same ecological role is taken in Africa by the golden moles (family Chrysochloridae), and in Australia by marsupial moles (genus Notoryctes, order Marsupialia).

Some members of the Talpidae family are aquatic, such as the Russian desman (Desmana moschata) and the North American star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata).

The eastern American shrew mole (Scalopus aquaticus), about 15 cm/6 in long, has blackish to coppery coloured soft, dense fur and a long snout. Its eyes and ears are not visible externally. It excavates tunnels just under the surface, leaving raised ridges, in search of earthworms and insect larvae.