Captain Stan’s ‘Creature Features’ – Volume 3 - Moles June 2022

Welcome to the third installment of ‘Captain Stan’s Creature Features,’ where we are looking at some of the more interesting animals in the pest management universe. This month, the star of the show is the underappreciated and under loved mole. Some interesting facts follow:

• There are 7 different species of moles in the United States. They live and search for food underground. One mole’s range can extend to almost 3 acres!
• Moles can dig tunnels at the rate of 15 feet per hour.
• A mole’s favorite food is earthworms – yum! – and their saliva contains a toxin that can paralyze the worms so they can be chomped on later for a snack. They will also dine on grubs and insects.
• Moles are hairless and have a pointed snout, small eyes, and no visible ears (they would get filled with dirt!).
• Male moles are called ‘boars’ and female moles are called ‘sows’. Just like pigs.
• Ever hear the expression ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’? Well, when moles dig their tunnels, that dirt has to go somewhere so it is usually piled up near the entrance to a tunnel.
• The Eastern, or common mole, can live up to 6 years.