Book 33, Question 88
How does a mole dig through the ground?
A mole has wide, strong front paws with big claws, like shovels.
They face outward, so the mole can sweep the dirt aside as it moves forward. It has tiny eyes and soft fur that lies flat in any direction, so it can move backward in a tunnel too. A mole’s body is a digging machine, built for life underground.
Watch the videoWatch on YouTubeSee the series on Amazon
Quick answers
How does a mole dig through the ground?
To create tunnels, the mole muscles its way through the soil with swimming motions, pushing the soil aside with alternating left and right paw strokes and compressing it against the tunnel walls.
Source: wdfw.wa.gov
More fun facts
- Moles also have broad front feet, the toes of which terminate in their characteristic stout claws faced outward for digging.
- Moles are fast diggers and can tunnel at a rate of 15 feet per hour.
- Eastern moles are fossorial, meaning that they are adapted to digging and living underground.
- The large, thick, clawed forepaws do the digging, while the small hind feet provide leverage against the tunnel sides.
- Moles prefer to dig when the soil is moist, which is why tunnels often appear after a heavy rain.
Sources: wdfw.wa.gov, in.gov
Questions kids ask
What are molehills?
The only evidence for deep runways may be the molehills, volcano-like mounds of soil that the moles push up through short vertical tunnels when excavating deep runways.
Source: Rutgers University