Mole
Moles are small mammals adapted to a burrowing (under the ground) lifestyle. This lifestyle is called fossorial.
Moles | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Suborder: | |
Family: | Talpidae
|
Moles are found in North America, Europe and Asia. They eat insects, larvae or worms. Moles have velvety, soft fur. They have powerful front paws so they can dig. A mole has an extra thumb.
The family includes the shrew moles and the desmans. There are three subfamilies, 17 genera and 46 species in total in this very common group of mammals. Moles have poor vision.
The largest type of mole is the Russian desman. The smallest type of mole is the American shrew mole.