Mammals · Eulipotyphla · Talpidae

European Mole

Talpa europaea

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Its saliva contains a paralysing toxin that immobilises earthworms, letting it store them alive but helpless in underground larders.

Weight

70 g – 130 g

Size

11 cm – 16 cm

Lifespan

4 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

Its saliva contains a toxin that immobilises earthworms, letting it store them alive in underground larders.
Its tunnels can run for more than 100 metres.
It lives almost entirely underground, in damp, soft soil.
fisiologíaIt can survive in tunnels with very little oxygen thanks to a special form of haemoglobin that takes up oxygen more efficiently.
anatomíaIts hands are extremely broad and turned outwards, shaped specifically for efficient tunnelling, and it can dig several metres of new tunnel in a single night.

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Deep soils of farmland, deciduous woodland and permanent pasture across temperate Europe
Birth weight: Born blind and hairless
Size at birth: Born blind and hairless
Sexual maturity: 1 year (the spring after birth)
Gestation / incubation: 4-5 weeks
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 7 young per litter, with a single litter a year