Obligatory disclaimer: real life sucks, and odds that the
U.S.-Canadian borders will not open until mid-summer or so are quite high. What
will result from that is anyone’s
guess, so let us talk something different. How about… moles?
Now, the word ‘mole’ has several meanings, but we are
talking here about the animal ‘mole’. As it regularly happens in the animal
kingdom, of course, the word ‘mole’ covers several different groups of animals,
so let us begin.
First, the word ‘mole’ is the name of mammals in the
Talpidae family of the Eulipotyphla order, and if the latter sounds familiar, you
are absolutely right. We have talked about this mammalian order when we have
discussed hedgehogs in the recent past; they, shrews, and the ‘true’ moles of
Eurasia and North America are related to each other, though the moles are less
derived than the hedgehogs and the shrews are, apparently. The solenodons,
which also belong to the Eulipotyphla order make the other branch of this
order, alongside the now extinct West Indian shrews, (apparently they were a
separate family from the other mammals that are called ‘shrews’), so let’s not
talk about them.
Now, as it was discussed, shrews look rather like mice,
albeit with proboscis-like snouts, while moles look like themselves: their feet
are tiny as are their arms; their hands are huge, and have an extra false thumb
for digging; their eyes are almost non-existent, but their snouts are long and
sensitive. The star-nosed mole (Condylura
cristata) of North America deserves a special mention, as its’ snout is not
just sensitive, but is equipped with multiple tendrils that make the star-nosed
mole’s snout a unique touch organ, giving the star-nosed mole an almost alien
look, (especially when seen from the front.
This animal is atypical among the moles, (both ‘true’ and
otherwise) in that it is also the most aquatic mole, (there are aquatic shrews,
but they don’t count here), as it can hunt in the water as well as underground;
and in that it has an unusually long tail by mole standards, making it almost
look like a desman.
…A desman is the name of two species of mammals that also
belong to the mole family, Talpidae, but live in the water, not underground,
and look more like giant shrews rather than moles. This brings us to the shrew
moles and the mole shrews.
A shrew mole is a mole that resembles a shrew. Most of such
mammals are found in China, but two live in Japan, and the third – in North
America. Such mammals look like shrews, with long snouts, long slender tails,
(in true shrews they can be quite short, actually), external ears and feet that
are not adapted for digging. However, unlike shrews and like the other moles,
their skulls have full zygomatic arches, (aka cheekbones), which the true
shrews lack.
By contrast, the mole shrews are, well, shrews that resemble
moles. They consist of representatives of two shrew genera, Anourosorex, which are found in Asia,
and Surdisorex, which are found in Africa,
(Kenya). They – and especially the Asian species – look more like moles than
shrews, but, apparently, they lack the moles’ cheekbones in their skulls, (see
above).
The mention of Africa brings us to the golden moles. In many
ways, they are similar to the ‘true’ moles, but they are covered in
golden-colored fur, (‘true’ moles are much more drab, usually black or dark
brown), and they belong to the Afrosoricida order, which includes them and the tenrecs
of the Madagascar, instead.
…From the ecological P.O.V., however, they are very much
like true moles, save that their arms and especially hands are tougher, because
they burrow not through soil, but sand. Consequently, they do not leave visible
tunnels, mounds and molehills as ‘true’ moles do. They are also even more
sight-deprived than the true moles are, (I think), because sand in the eyes is
even more of an irritant than plain old earth is. Anything else?
Australia is a continent apart, which means that it has its
own, marsupial moles, which are – proportionally – more closely related to the
koalas and kangaroos that we have discussed earlier than to either ‘true’ moles
or golden moles. However, these animals, (there are two species of marsupial
moles, FYI), belong to their own order, Notoryctemorpha, within the Australian
marsupial superorder; all of their true relatives are extinct. Of all the ‘moles’
mentioned here, these strange little marsupials may be the most adapted to a subterranean
lifestyle; they are eyeless, while their noses and the fronts of their faces
have shovel-like patches on their faces, for better digging through the sandy
soil as well. (The African golden moles have them as well).
Pause. The mole may not look like much, and it does not
appear in fiction very often – the best case is Andersen’s fairy tale ‘Thumbelina’,
where it is a protagonist of sorts. (Was it Disney or someone else who made it
into an animated movie in the 20th century? The Soviets had made it
into a cartoon adaptation instead, much more basic out of the two). In
non-fiction, moles usually appear in various guides or, more often, in
instructions of how to get rid of them from your lawn. Considering that the
moles – like their relatives the hedgehogs – are insectivores that usually eat
insect pests, this state of affairs is somewhat sad, but that is real life for
you. It sucks, (just look at COVID-19).
…Well, this is it for now – see you all soon!
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