Common moles ( lat. Talpa ) - genus of the mole family.
| Common Moles |
European Mole ( Talpa europaea ) |
| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| Nadotryad : | Laurasiotherium |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Talpa Linnaeus , 1758 |
| Kinds |
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See text |
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Content
Appearance in common moles is typical for the family. They have an elongated and rounded body, a strongly shortened neck and an elongated muzzle, flattened from top to bottom. The nasal proboscis inside is supported by a special thin bone os praenasale ; it ends in a thick, bare plate. Limbs strongly shortened and adapted for digging lifestyle. The front legs have broad spade-like palms, turned out and armed with powerful claws. There are no external ears. The eyes are rudimentary and often hidden by the skin. The coat is short and thick; the color is black, black-brown, less often dark-gray. Occasionally there are light or spotted moles. Moles molt up to 4 times a year. The sizes are average: body length is from 9 to 23 cm. Tail length is from 1.5 to 3.6 cm.
These are the most common, widespread moles found in a wide variety of landscapes (especially numerous in the forest and forest-steppe zones). They prefer moist but not swampy soils, easy to dig. They lay underground a complex system of forage and residential tunnels. When digging deep passages, characteristic heaps of earth — molehills — are thrown to the surface. Active around the clock, voracious. The main food consists of earthworms and other invertebrates, including various pests of agriculture and forestry. The female brings one litter per year. They bring great benefits by creating ventilating tunnels, as well as loosening the soil and destroying the harmful larvae of various insects, as well as the bear .
- Genus Talpa (moles) [1]
- Siberian mole ( Talpa altaica ), or Altai mole
- Blind mole ( Talpa caeca ), another name small mole
- Caucasian mole ( Talpa caucasica )
- Common Mole ( Talpa europaea ) ( European Mole )
- Little Asian Mole ( Talpa levantis )
- Iberian Mole ( Talpa occidentalis )
- Coarse mole ( Talpa romana )
- Mole Stankovic ( Talpa stankovici )
- Iranian mole ( Talpa davidiana )
There are 4 species of common moles in Russia : Altai, small, Caucasian and European moles.
- ↑ Russian titles on the book Full Illustrated Encyclopedia. "Mammals" Kn. 2 = The New Encyclopedia of Mammals / ed. D. Macdonald . - M .: Omega, 2007. - p. 439-440. - 3000 copies - ISBN 978-5-465-01346-8 .
