8 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2016
A Mammal Brief
Eastern Mole
By Lindsay Rogers
Scalopus aquaticus
If you were to spend
your life tunneling
underground you
would definitely
need large, shovel-
like webbed feet
with sizeable
claws to help dig.
You would not need
eyes. Combine those
two characteristics and
you have the eastern mole. This
tubular-shaped species has thick fur
which is darker in northern locations and more silver or tan in southern areas. Unlike most mammal
species whose fur lays in one direction, the fur of the eastern mole does not lay in any direction which
helps facilitate both forward and backward motion in its narrow tunnels. Their extremely large front feet
have webbing between the toes to help push soil as they dig. They are often found in the moist loamy
soils of the eastern United States. Their westward expansion is thwarted by more rocky soils. These
insectivores feed primarily on worms and insects. They have huge appetites and can eat 25-75 percent of
their body weight daily. ■
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