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- Mole and mole rat
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- Mole and mole rat
The fauna is rich in various species of animals, similar to each other in a number of ways. But there are completely different representatives of families, which are often confused. These include mole and mole rat. Both animals lead an underground lifestyle and have some similarities in appearance. But the difference between mole rat and mole is obvious - they belong to different orders of animals. Mole and mole rat lead a life hidden from prying eyes and rarely become detected. Therefore, during their infrequent appearance on the surface of the earth, people are not able to see them carefully. A quick look at these animals allows you to see very similar features. This is the reason that they are constantly confused.
Interspecies differences
The main difference between the two animals is interspecific. Mole It belongs to the group of insectivores and is a predator. The length of his body rarely exceeds 20 cm. Streamlined body shapes allow you to quickly move through narrow tunnels. The digger spends his entire conscious life in search of food. In the daily diet of the mole The following insects are included:
- earthworms and earth;
- larvae Khrushchev, Zhukov;
- larvae butterflies and other insects.
Underground predator digs its holes with powerful forelimbs, slightly turned outwards. Toes are equipped with large claws, which animal able to rake large volumes of land. Underground passages of the excavator are located at a depth of 20-25 cm where you can meet his favorite food in abundance.
Interesting!
If we compare the appearance of the animals, the photo of the mole of the mole rat is bypassed by perception, since it looks like a funny animal with a long nose. Due to its large teeth, the mole rat looks more intimidating.
Mole mole rat exceeds its size, especially for a rather rare species - a giant mole rat, whose dimensions can reach 35 cm in length. The mole rat, or its popular name, the blind man, belongs to the order of rodents and eats only plant foods. His favorite dishes are:
- sagebrush;
- wheatgrass wheatgrass;
- acorns;
- seedlings of maples, oaks;
- swing;
- juzgun.
What distinguishes a mole from a mole rat in appearance is immediately apparent. Four huge incisors above and below protrude beyond the oral cavity, and they are also the main tool of the digger. And his limbs are small proportional paws. Like many rodents, they are not very developed, unlike the forelimbs of the mole.
The blind man prefers to dig holes in two tiers. The upper floor is deepened by 20-25 cm, where are the roots of plants. The lower tier is designed for nests, storage of food supplies and other needs of a rodent.
Similarities of animals
Despite the significant differences between the two underground inhabitants, they have much in common. The habitat of animals can intersect in the steppe and forest-steppe zones. The mole rat prefers drier soddy soils. Moles are found in the forest zone, in lowlands, ravines, where the earth is humid and inhabited by worms.
On a note!
A common feature of these unusual inhabitants of the burrows is reduced vision. Most animals have very small eyes, it is difficult to see them among the coat of wool. Some species lost their organs of vision, which were subsequently tightened by a skin fold.
The visiting card of both animals is the ejection of earth to the surface while digging tunnels.It is by this action that you can determine where diggers are found. Their underground activity is striking in its scale. One individual makes more than 300 emissions of land per season, which is several cubic meters of soil. And the length of the tunnels of one animal can reach 350 meters.
The harm and benefit of animals
Any gardener or summer resident will grab his head if he sees heaps of land on his plot. The presence of a mole or mole rat on land holdings clearly does not suit a person. But if you understand what the benefits and harms of these animals are, you can come to a different conclusion.
On a note!
In the wild, mole and mole rats play an important role in biocenoses and the circulation of substances. Their usefulness is the constant mixing of the soil, its saturation with oxygen, the spread of plant seeds.
The mole feeds on insect pests, loosens the soil, mixes the layers of the earth. All this positively affects the productivity of garden and horticultural crops. The only minus of his activity is the spoiled appearance of a lawn or flower bed. Most often, for this reason, the owner of the site tries fight moles effectively.
The activity of a mole rat in a garden or in a garden has more serious consequences for humans:
- spoiled lawns and flower beds;
- damaged roots of plants and garden trees;
- destruction of root crops (potatoes, beets, carrots);
- damage to bulbs of cultivated plants.
Such a detrimental effect on planting leads to a significant decrease in yield. Land owners have every reason get rid of the rodent on the site at any cost. A general negative attitude towards digging animals is possible and has become the reason that they are often confused.
