One of the most interesting animals to be found anywhere is the mole. Moles live in every part of the United States and there are about 30 different species. But they are so seldom seen by people that they have become a kind of mysterious creature.

You can find a mole by looking for the long ridges of cracked earth it makes across fields. This is the roof of its tunnel, for the mole spends its whole life in darkness under the ground.

A mole grows to about 15 centimeters long. It has a fine, velvety fur, the color of a mouse, and a tail about 3 centimeters. It has no neck at all, and its ears are tiny openings hidden in the fur. A mole does have eyes, but they are tiny points covered with fur and skin. This is why it was once believed that moles are blind. A mole can see, but very poorly.

If you picked up a mole and put it down on the ground, it would race about until it found a soft spot and would begin to dig at once. A mole is one of the most efficient diggers in nature. Its forefeet are powerful and shaped like spades. It can dig a burrow and disappear into it in less than one minute! In a single night, it can dig a tunnel 68 meters long.

Moles usually live in a colony in a sort of fortress undergound. From the surface, we see a-little hillock of earth called a “molehill.” Right under it, there are two circular galleries or passageways, one above the other. Vertical passageways connect them, so the mole can move up and down. The upper gallery has five of these openings which go down to a central chamber where the mole rests.

A whole series of complicated tunnels lead from these galleries and from the central chamber to the feeding grounds, to the nest, and even to an “emergency” exit. These underground tunnels are so well built that field mice and gophers often use them to get roots and plants for food. But it isn’t too safe for other animals to venture into a mole’s home. It has such sharp front teeth that it can fight viciously and kill mice much bigger than itself. Its chief food, however, consists of insects and earthworms. A mole is so greedy that if it is unable to get food for 12 hours it will die!