---
title: "What the sources say about the European Mole | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "40 claims from the European Mole profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-mole/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the European Mole (*Talpa europaea*)

> 40 claims from the European Mole profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [European Mole](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-mole/)

## Sondergaard (2006). Talpa europaea (European mole). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Talpa_europaea/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A velvety black digger that lives underground, in tunnel networks that can run hundreds of metres. | Unless accidentally exposed to light, European moles spend their entire life underground ... This complex network of burrows is found at varying depths in the soil, and can be hundreds of meters long. ... Their fur is velvety and black in color. |
| Digs tunnel networks that can run hundreds of metres, with five-clawed front feet turned outward | can be hundreds of meters long. ... The front feet have 5 strong claws and are permanently turned outward. |
| Soils deep enough to tunnel in, under arable fields, deciduous woodland and permanent pasture, from Great Britain east to the Ob and Irtysh rivers in Russia | from Great Britain in the west to the Ob and Irtysh rivers in the east in Russia. ... habitats with soils deep enough to allow tunneling. These include arable fields, deciduous woodland, and permanent pasture. |
| Earthworms where they make up most of the soil animals, insects where earthworms are fewer | Earthworms are the main constituent of the T. europaea diet in habitats where they constitute a majority of the biomass of the soil fauna. In areas without as many earthworms, insects are the main dietary constituent. |
| A European mole's front limbs are highly modified for digging. | The front limbs are highly modified for digging |
| Each front foot has five strong claws and is permanently turned outward. | The front feet have 5 strong claws and are permanently turned outward. |
| The body is long and cylindrical, with velvety black fur and no external ears. | European moles have long, cylindrical bodies. Their fur is velvety and black in color. ... and no external ears. |
| The bare nose carries sensory whiskers. | The nose is bare with the exception of sensory whiskers. |
| A mole weighs 72 to 128 g | European moles weigh between 72 and 128 g. |
| The body is 113 to 159 mm long, plus a tail of 25 to 40 mm. | Body lengths range from 113 to 159 mm with tail lengths between 25 and 40 mm. |
| A mole rarely stores more than 3 g of fat. | rarely have more than 3 grams of fat stored in the body |
| The eyes are small and often hidden by fur. | fully developed eyes that are small and often hidden by fur |
| European moles are known to build "fortresses": structured mounds that at times hold more than 750 kg of soil, with one or more nest chambers and a network of tunnels inside. | European moles are known to build "fortresses," structured mounds containing more than 750 kg of soil at times. Internally, the fortresses contain one or more nest chambers and a network of tunnels. |
| The European mole lives across temperate Europe, from Great Britain east to the Ob and Irtysh rivers in Russia. | is found throughout temperate Europe, from Great Britain in the west to the Ob and Irtysh rivers in the east in Russia. |
| It is missing from the far south, including Greece, Portugal and Italy. | They do not occur in southernmost parts of Europe, including Greece, Portugal, and Italy. |
| It needs soil deep enough to tunnel in, such as arable fields, deciduous woodland and permanent pasture. | European moles are found in habitats with soils deep enough to allow tunneling. These include arable fields, deciduous woodland, and permanent pasture. |
| Permanent tunnel networks can be hundreds of metres long. | This complex network of burrows is found at varying depths in the soil, and can be hundreds of meters long. |
| Earthworms are the main food where they make up the majority of the soil animals' biomass. Where there are fewer earthworms, insects are. | Earthworms are the main constituent of the T. europaea diet in habitats where they constitute a majority of the biomass of the soil fauna. In areas without as many earthworms, insects are the main dietary constituent. |
| A mole usually has three rest periods and three activity periods in every 24 hours. | Moles usually have three periods of rest and three periods of activity every 24 hours. |
| A mole's home range covers 300 to 3000 square metres. | Home range size varies from 300 to 3000 square meters. |
| If two meet outside the breeding season, a fight usually occurs. | If two moles encounter each other during a time other than the breeding season, a fight usually occurs. |
| In the wild, a mole typically lives 2 to 3 years. | Typical lifespan Status: wild 2 to 3 years |
| One population held moles up to five years old. | population was shown to include 45 percent juveniles (moles less than one year in age), 40 percent one to two year olds, and the remainder older moles, with a maximum age of five years. |
| Deaths peak at five to six weeks of age, when young moles leave the nest and come above ground. | The highest mortality rate occurs at an age of five to six weeks, when the moles leave the mother's nest to disperse above ground and find their own territory. |
| Owls, buzzards and herons are among the birds that catch them. | The main predators are birds, including owls, buzzards, herons, ravens, and gulls. |
| No. A European mole has fully developed eyes, though they are small and often buried in fur. | They have fully developed eyes that are small and often hidden by fur |
| A litter holds two to seven young, born blind and hairless. Pregnancy lasts four weeks, and a female usually has one litter a year. | Gestation lasts four weeks in T. europaea. ... Generally females give birth to a single litter per year. Each litter has two to seven young, born blind and hairless. |
| Built to Dig | The front limbs are highly modified for digging |
| A European mole digs with front feet turned permanently outward | The front feet have 5 strong claws and are permanently turned outward. |
| moles are known to build fortress mounds that at times hold more than 750 kg of soil | European moles are known to build "fortresses," structured mounds containing more than 750 kg of soil at times. |

## Atkinson & Gazzard (2024). Talpa europaea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T221751920A221752294.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-2.rlts.t221751920a221752294.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: Category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List (IUCN taxon 221751920); iucnredlist.org refuses scripts.) |

## AnAge entry for Talpa europaea. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Talpa_europaea

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge gives an average adult weight of 92.5 g. | Adult weight 92.5 g |
| AnAge reports that they live up to 6 years, but says their maximum longevity must be classified as unknown. | It has been reported that they live up to 6 years [ 0678 ]. Without more detailed studies, however, their maximum longevity must be classified as unknown. |
| weightKg: 0.0925 | Adult weight 92.5 g (note: task #1261) |

## Glösmann et al. (2008). Cone photoreceptors and potential UV vision in a subterranean insectivore, the European mole. Journal of Vision.

https://doi.org/10.1167/8.4.23

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The retina holds about 100,000 light-sensing cells, and 10 to 12% of them are cones rather than rods. | Cones and rods were identified ... The retina (total area 0.75 mm(2)) contains about 100,000 photoreceptors, 10-12% of which are cones. (note: Photoreceptors are the light-sensing cells; the study identified cones and rods.) |
| The lens transmits light down to 300 nanometres. | The lens transmits light down to 300 nm. |
| Reading part of the gene for one cone pigment strongly supports that pigment being sensitive to UV. | Partial sequencing of the S opsin gene strongly supports UV sensitivity of the mole S cone photopigment. |
| The researchers say their data suggest that bright-light vision and UV sensitivity play a functional role in the mole. | Together, our data suggest that photopic vision and UV sensitivity of a cone pigment play a functional role in the European mole. (note: Photopic vision is vision in bright light.) |

## Fellowes et al. (2020). Map-A-Mole: Greenspace Area Influences the Presence and Abundance of the European Mole Talpa europaea in Urban Habitats. Animals.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061097

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Moles generally burrow less than a metre below ground. | European moles generally burrow less than a metre below the ground |
| A molehill holds the spoil, the loose soil left behind as a mole digs its underground tunnels. | molehills, which contain the spoil heaps left behind as the mole digs its underground tunnels |