LIFE CYCLE:Moles dig special chambers at the ends of tunnels that serve as bedrooms and birthing areas. During breeding season, males will enlarge their tunnel to more territories to find females to mate with. Once the breeding is done, a spherical nest chamber lined with dry plant material is created. Moles burrow into garden to eat the roots of plants.
A female mole gives birth to one litter per year containing about four to seven Young ones. They are hairless babies and are extremely sensitive. Gestation period is about 4 weeks. By the time they are14 days old, the mole babies, called pups, start growing hair. At four to five weeks, the pups are weaned and at 33 days they leave the nest. By five to six weeks, pups leave their mother and their home tunnel completely.
They have cylindrical bodies, very strong shoulders and broad, very small inconspicuous ears and eyes, reduced hind limbs and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging. The body is covered in a soft, thick, silver-black velvety fur, which hides the small eyes. They have poor eyesight. They have an excellent sense of smell and touch.
On average, a mole grows 12-16cm long from snout to rump. Their tails add 2.5 to 4 cm of length. They typically weigh 72 to 128gms. The maximum lifespan of a mole is about three years