mole

a kind of animal – mammals – four-legged – insect-eating – related to shrew – small with stocky tube-like body with thick silky grey, brown, blackish-brown fur, head almost joined to the body, small eyes (‘eyes’ in most species are useless), small ears covered in fur, pointed snout (mouth and nose part), large strong front legs with side-way-turned paws with long sharp claws, small back legs, relatively short tail; size: 3-8 inches long, and weight: 50-100 grams; feeds on (eats) earthworms and other worms, insects and insect larvae found in the soil, and (some species eat) small mice and other small animals found above ground; lives for about 3 years in the wild (moles kept in the zoos live for more years); about 30 species, found in North America, Europe (except in Ireland) and Asia

male ~~ boar

female ~~ sow

baby ~~ pup

group ~~ labour; company; movement

voice (call) ~~ squeal

home ~~ burrow (‘nest’ in the burrow for giving birth to the young); tunnel; run {underground} tump; molehill; mole mound {above ground}

Some common moles are: broad-footed mole, naked mole, coast mole, eastern mole, hairy-tailed mole, star-nosed mole, Townsend’s mole, shrew-mole, fossorial (semi-aquatic)mole, desman

Though some animals that look like (resemble) moles have the word ‘mole’ in their names, they are not “true moles”, e.g., golden mole, marsupial mole, mole rats, etc.

Special Features:

Moles are garden pests.  Though they do not eat the grass or plants, they dig burrows which damage the plant root system.  The ‘molehills’ or ‘mole mounds’ damage the lawns.

Most species (kinds) of moles live on ground in burrows, but there are some species that are semi-aquatic and aquatic, i.e. they can be in water finding food.

Burrowing moles dig burrows just under the ground and store food – insects, warms or other small animals, in separate rooms called “larders”!  Some species have ‘nests’ in the burrows to give birth to their young!

The naked mole is, as the name suggests, completely naked, without any visible hair, and with long sharp hare-like protruding front teeth!

The star-nosed mole can find out, catch and eat food – an insect or worm, so fast that we cannot follow with our naked eyes – under 300 milliseconds!  It has 22 pink feelers (= finger-like flesh growth) around its nose part with which it can sense and feel the prey (= the animals it kills to eat).  It is semi-aquatic, i.e. it can be in water finding food!!

Some species of moles give out strong smell (odour) to keep off their predators (= animals that kill and eat them)!

[There are some entirely different animals with ‘mole’ in their names: ‘mole or mole cricket’ is a king of insect; ‘mole or mole kingsnake’ is a kind of snake; ‘mole or mole pablano’ is one of many kinds of Mexican food items.]

Figures of Speech:

1.

mole (noun)  =

(a)  a spy (a person who obtains important or secret information secretly from the enemy and then passes on to his/her organisation or country;  or a member of an organisation or an employee in a large office who works for others who pay money to gather secrets of that organisation or office) 

(b)  a small dark round raised spot on the skin of people; birth mark; (also ‘identification mark’) {scientific name: ‘pigmented nevus’}

(c)  a machine for making holes in rock

(d)  a very huge stone wall built in sea to protect harbours where ships are tied up (anchored)

2.

mole (noun & scientific word)  =  {symbol = ‘mol’} a unit of amount of substance – an SI base unit – physical quantity of something

3.

to mole out (verb)  =  to get or draw out some information, news, etc. skilfully

4.

as blind as a mole

5.

to make a mountain of a molehill  =  to treat or make some simple or easy matter as complicated or difficult; to make a lot fuss or scene of simple matters

6.

to go to the mole country  =  (of someone) to die

[Return to "mole ~ mole" in Words Often Confused.]

[Return to "mole" in People & Professions.]

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