Hairy-tailed mole facts for kids
The hairy-tailed mole (also known as Brewer's mole) is a medium-sized mole found in North America. It is the only type of mole in its group, called Parascalops. The name breweri honors Thomas Mayo Brewer, an American nature expert.
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Contents
What Hairy-Tailed Moles Look Like
The hairy-tailed mole has dark grey fur, which is lighter on its belly. It has a pointed nose and a short, furry tail. This mole is about 15 centimeters (5.9 in) long, including its 3-centimeter-long (1.2 in) tail. It weighs around 55 grams (1.9 oz).
Special Features for Digging
Its front paws are wide and shaped like spades. These paws are perfect for digging tunnels. The mole has 44 teeth. Its eyes are hidden by fur, and its ears are not visible from the outside. The feet and snout are usually pink, but they turn white as the mole gets older.
How Moles Sense Their World
Hairy-tailed moles have special features for living underground. Their fur is very thick and soft. Their feet are wide, flat, and strong. Moles do not use their eyesight much because they live in dark tunnels. They have very small optic nerves, which connect the eyes to the brain. Instead of seeing, they use sensitive whiskers and hairs on their nose and feet to feel their way around.
Where Hairy-Tailed Moles Live
You can find hairy-tailed moles in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. They live in forests and open areas. They need soil that is dry but also loose enough to dig through easily.
Preferred Homes
These moles are fossorial animals, meaning they live mostly underground. They like to live in woods with deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves) and coniferous trees (like pine trees). They also live in old fields and along roadsides.
Hairy-Tailed Mole Behavior
The hairy-tailed mole is a cathemeral animal. This means it can be active at different times of the day or night. Since it lives in shallow tunnels underground, it can look for food all day long. It also comes to the surface at night to find food.
Seasonal Activities
During warmer summer months, the hairy-tailed mole stays closer to the surface. When fall and winter arrive and it gets colder, it digs deeper underground. This helps it stay warm and find food.
Daily Life and Predators
This mole spends most of its time underground. It digs shallow tunnels to find insects, their larvae, and earthworms. It comes out at night to eat. Hairy-tailed moles are active all year round. Some animals that hunt hairy-tailed moles include owls, foxes, and large snakes.
What Hairy-Tailed Moles Eat
Hairy-tailed moles are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. They cannot survive if they only eat plants. Their diet mainly includes grubs, earthworms, beetle larvae, slugs, and ants. They especially eat ants when other food is hard to find.
Hairy-Tailed Mole Reproduction
Hairy-tailed moles usually live alone. They only come together to mate in early spring. After mating, the female mole will have a litter of 4 to 5 young. She raises her babies in a deep burrow underground. A hairy-tailed mole can live for about 3 to 4 years.
Images for kids
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Illustration of the Hairy-tailed mole
See also
In Spanish: Topo de cola peluda para niños
