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Moles have very poor eye sight and feed mainly on worms and insect larvae.
A single mole will typically consume 45-50 lbs
of worms and insects every year.
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Close Up Of A Gopher Peeking Out Of
His Hole Showing Off His Long Teeth |
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Moles find their food by senses of touch and smell.
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Moles travel through existing tunnels at about 80 feet per minute.
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Moles can dig surface tunnels at approximately 18 feet/hour.
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Male moles are called "boars"; females, "sows"; a group, a "labor".
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The gestation period of moles is approximately 42 days, giving
birth around March or early April to between three to five young.
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Moles are very territorial. Many or all of the tunnels seen
in any given yard can typically be from just one mole.
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Gophers use their long teeth to help build tunnels - to cut roots, loosen rocks and push soil away. A gopher's teeth
rest outside its lips so they can be used for tunnel building without opening its mouth.
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Gophers have pouches in their cheeks that they use to carry food, hence the term "pocket" gopher
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Gophers are generally solitary creatures that prefer to live alone except for brief mating periods
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Gopher predators include snakes, owls, coyotes, weasels, badgers, bobcats and even herons.
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To protect themselves from predators, adult gophers will usually peek out of their hole briefly before exiting to make
sure the way is clear, then leave only momentarily before quickly darting back inside.
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As gophers build tunnels they create dirt mounds that wrap around about 3/4 of the opening, the direction of the tunnel is
usually off to the flat side of the mound === TUNNEL === m ))) < Dirt Pile
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Gophers and moles are both mammals, but they have different taxonomic classifications. Gophers are classified as rodents,
members of the order Rodentia, but moles belong to the order Insectivora.
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