I just realized that I have absolutely no idea what day it is today. Hopefully, it is still a week day and I am suppose to be writing this Wild Fact. After a little bit of thinking, I have come to realize that it is actually a Wednesday. This seems like the perfect day to beat the heat and head underground. Why are we going underground? Well to learn about the Eastern Mole of course! If you live in North America and have actually seen a mole, then I am willing to bet that you spotted an Eastern Mole. These little critters tend to be the most common on this side of the world. So let’s take a closer look in case you run across them again in the near future.
If you are heading outside to specifically look for this far-ranging North American mole then you will want to head over to the loamy soils found in a variety of spots such as forests, fields, pastures and meadows. Of course it prefers this type of soil since it is perfect for digging and tunnelling through – have you ever tried to dig a tunnel through bedrock? You will often see “mole-hills” where the little critter has started tunnelling and piles up the excess dirt by the entrance of the hole. If you have a nice lawn, I am sure you are familiar with these mounds of dirt the Eastern Mole left for you has a nice gift.
As you might expect, the Eastern Mole has very large front feet. I will let you take a guess at what these incredibly large feet are designed for. Seriously? Did you just guess that they are designed for fitting into large shoes? Sheesh! They are actually perfectly suited for digging those incredible tunnels. These well adapted feet even have a specialized bone on their wrist to assist with digging. If this isn’t enough to impress you then how about the fact that all of their feet have sensory hairs along the fringe to help them detect what they are digging through. So not only do they have a tough time finding the right shoe but they are very well suited for a life underground.
Eastern Mole Fast Fact – Did you know that the Eastern Mole can actually make quite a few different sounds? That’s right these little guys can create high-pitched squeals, various squeaks and snorts and will even gnash their teeth together if they are really desperate to make some noise. I bet once you get a mole talking, they never stop!
It looks like we are at the end of another Wild Fact. For the remainder of the week, I am offering a 2 for 1 special! That’s right, if you read Thursday’s Wild Fact, you will get a second one for no cost on Friday! How is that for a deal! See you tomorrow.
