The fauna is rich in various species of animals, similar to each other in a number of characteristics. But there are also completely different representatives of families, who are very often confused. These include the mole and the mole rat. Both animals lead an underground lifestyle and have some similarities in appearance. But the difference between a mole rat and a mole is obvious - they belong to different orders of animals. The mole and mole rat lead a life hidden from prying eyes and are rarely discovered. Therefore, during their infrequent appearance on the surface of the earth, people do not manage to look at them carefully. A quick glance at these animals allows you to see very similar features. This is the reason why they are constantly confused.
Common mole rat: how to deal with the garden pest mole rat
The mole rat, a garden pest, is not known to all gardeners. Sometimes summer residents find mounds of earth on their plots. In addition, the garden turns out to be dug up by underground tunnels in such a way that you can fall ankle-deep into the ground. The first thing gardeners do is blame moles. But it turns out that there are other rodents that can spoil the external and internal appearance of a summer cottage. Of course, one should not ignore the work of moles in the construction of underground passages, but there are other animals - representatives of the mole rat family, which, like moles, adore underground construction. Mole rats differ from moles in appearance and eating habits.
Nutrition
So, first of all, I would like to note that the mole rat is a rodent, and the mole is an insectivore.
The blind man is a threat to summer cottages and vegetable gardens; he shows no interest in animal food. The animal digs close to the surface, trying to find underground parts of plants - tubers, bulbs, root vegetables and other goodies. Unlike the mole rat, the mole does not look for food in gardens, and it is also absolutely indifferent to garden plots. However, provided there is a high level of soil moisture, it can easily be found in the garden.
This is a predator that feasts on earthworms and earthworms, consuming them in considerable quantities. Its delicacies include the larvae of butterflies, beetles, beetles and other harmful insects. In this way, of course, they provide an invaluable service to summer residents.
Studying the topic of what is the difference between animals, it becomes obvious that these are completely different species, and in no case should you generalize them. Now, unfortunately, there is not much information about diggers, and sometimes the information is contradictory. The way of life of animals is still little studied, and there are many blank spots. The mole rat keeps the most secrets, which is due to the secretive habitat of the animal.
The fauna is rich in various species of animals, similar to each other in a number of characteristics. But there are also completely different representatives of families, who are very often confused. These include the mole and the mole rat. Both animals lead an underground lifestyle and have some similarities in appearance. But the difference between a mole rat and a mole is obvious - they belong to different orders of animals. The mole and mole rat lead a life hidden from prying eyes and are rarely discovered. Therefore, during their infrequent appearance on the surface of the earth, people do not manage to look at them carefully. A quick glance at these animals allows you to see very similar features. This is the reason why they are constantly confused.
Occupation and appearance of mole rats
It turns out that mole rats cause more damage to vegetable gardens than moles. Moles are insectivorous diggers who can annoy summer residents only by digging hills and holes in their plots. Mole rats are real rodents whose delicacies are root vegetables - potatoes, beets, carrots. In addition to vegetables, animals love to eat the stems and leaves of plants and love to eat bulbous flowers.
In addition, shortly before the onset of winter, mole rats stock up on food. The reserves of one rodent alone can reach 10 kilograms. The animals are active all year round and do not hibernate; however, with the onset of cold weather their behavior becomes somewhat calmer.
Features and appearance of the mole rat.
The animal is distinguished by a flat, spade-shaped head, on which there are reduced eyes, in place of which there is a skin fold. The animal has weakly defined ears and a tail, and its body is covered with thick and dense hair.
Many summer residents confuse mole rats with moles, calling them mole moles. But there are many differences between these two animals leading an underground lifestyle.
Appearance
The mole reaches a length of 25 cm, it has strong front legs, a muzzle with a movable trunk and a small tail.
The short paws of the mole rat do not at all resemble digging organs. The eyes are replaced by a fold of skin - the animal really does not see anything and fully lives up to its name. But he has wide incisors. The body is slab-shaped, the shape of the skull is quite specific, the head is flattened. Animals reach a length of up to 35 cm. Hairs protruding from the fur part serve as organs of touch. They are the ones responsible for receiving information.
What is the difference between a mole rat and a mole?
With such paws it is impossible to dig tunnels up to half a kilometer long, so the mole rat digs them with the help of its powerful teeth. Its wide incisors bite into the ground, and its lips with multiple folds are located behind the incisors. Thanks to this, the soil does not get into the rodent's mouth.
Features and differences between mole rats and moles.
Reproduction of blind women
Lesser mole rats are solitary animals. The network of tunnels of one individual does not connect with the burrows of another.
Individuals of different sexes are found exclusively during the breeding season. The mating season for small mole rats begins in the spring and continues until summer. But today scientists do not know how blind women find partners and create pairs.
Mole rats give birth to offspring once a year. One female can have up to 6 cubs in a litter, but, as a rule, 3-4 babies are born. A blind woman feeds her offspring for 4 weeks.
Nothing is known about the life expectancy of small mole rats, as well as about their mating behavior.
Where do mole rats live?
The habitat of rodents can be a steppe, a field, a virgin plot of land, a forest belt, or a ravine. The common mole rat digs holes in several tiers, which have a complex system of passages. The location of the feeding passages is 10-30 cm deep. Other, deeper passages branch off from these passages - rodents place nests and storerooms at a depth of 80 cm - 3 meters.
Photo of the pest mole rat, which can cause quite a few problems for summer residents.
When a rodent digs its passages, it is capable of throwing heaps onto the surface of the earth that reach enormous sizes. Getting rid of a mole rat is quite difficult, since the rodent lives underground most of its life.
Methods, means and traps for controlling mole rats
The most effective way to combat mole rats is to use strong poisons, which are similar to the poison used to bait rats. However, when using toxic substances, there is a high probability that pets or children will be harmed.
For this reason, it is better to install traps or live traps, however, this also has its drawbacks. Installing these devices takes a lot of time. In addition, rodents have perspicacity and intelligence, so they can easily bypass the dangerous place where the trap is installed.
Old and experienced mole rats have an excellent sense of smell, which allows them to bypass even very cunning traps. In addition, the animals can be aggressive - they growl if their life is threatened. If you have chosen traps, install them at the entrance to animal burrows.
The mole rat is a pest that destroys plantings and crops in a summer cottage.
Experienced mole rats are caught using a hook. To do this, you need to dig out the entrance to the hole and insert a long wire inside the hole, at the end of which one or more hooks are attached. The other end of the wire is equipped with a loop, which helps secure the hook in the animal’s burrow (otherwise the rodent may drag the trap away).
Sensing the appearance of a draft, the mole rat will hurry to exit the hole and get hooked. Moving from side to side, he will only worsen his already unenviable position. The owner of the summer cottage can only take the animal off the hook and decide what to do with it next.
The use of crossbows, traps, toxic substances - these methods are inhumane because they kill mole rats. Using water and an electronic repeller keeps the animal alive. Some summer residents smoke rodents out of minks by connecting a hose to the exhaust pipe of a car. Thanks to this method, mole rats do not appear on the site for several months, but the soil is noticeably contaminated.
A good effect can be achieved by using an electronic repeller that acts on moles and mole rats. Rodents cannot tolerate vibration, so they quickly leave the area.
Active pets - cats and cats, excellent rat catchers, can help you hunt mole rats - summer residents often and successfully use this method, introducing cats to hunting rodents.
Additional measures
What else can be done? All methods of control are good, but below we will describe methods that we have heard about, but have not yet had time to try in our garden:
- Watering hoses were connected to the machines, and the free ends of the hose were lowered into the holes. They worked and revved up together for about an hour. We were all in the gardens and some were using simple tools to catch mole rats, while others were making sure that exhaust gases did not escape underground. The “catch” from 4 gardens was a decent 37 pieces. There has been no pest on the site for two years now.
- Prepare a mixture of 2 tablespoons of any liquid soap or dishwashing detergent + one glass of castor oil. Add 4.5 liters of water to this mixture. Shake well, sprinkle on the surface of the soil along the tunnels. Repeat this monthly - throughout the gardening season, and also after each rain.
- If you have old slate, you can dig it to the full depth along the perimeter of the site.
- Drop ammonia onto the tampon and use it.
- They bury an empty glass jar in the place where the mole moves from hole to hole, then it falls into the jar and cannot get out.
- When a mole is digging, you can watch for it - take a bucket of water and a shovel, when it is clear that it is at the very top, with a shovel they sharply throw away the top of the earth and pour out the water. The mole jumps out in shock.
Introducing cats to hunt mole rats
To do this, the following steps are required:
First, you need to determine the location of the animal’s underground passages, which is not difficult to do, since in those places the earth collapses under your feet.
Using a shovel, dig about half a meter of underground tunnel. Since rodents are sensitive to the appearance of a draft, you will very quickly see a mole rat coming to fill the open part of the hole with earth.
Cats are natural hunters, but not all domestic animals are capable of catching mole rats.
At this time, there is no need to waste time - you need to dig a wide hole (up to half a meter) near the exit from the hole, the depth of which should be 30-40 cm, and then take your favorite pet and wait with it for the rodent to appear. If the mole rat is young, it is less agile, and catching it is not difficult.
By the way, you can also use the help of a dog to catch mole rats.
Using water to catch mole rats
One or two buckets will not be enough for you to catch a rodent . In order to catch it with water, you need to use a long irrigation hose, or stock up on at least ten buckets of water.
Recommendations on how to get a mole rat to leave your summer cottage.
First you need to find a tunnel that leads to the mole rat's hole. Ordinary moves are calculated on the ground covered with mounds. There is a passage leading into the burrow, which differs in that the mound contains clay (the rodent places its nest at great depths, where the soil is clayey).
A hole is dug near the embankment with clay, and a continuous flow of water is directed into it. The underground passages deepen in a helical manner, so it is necessary to generously fill them with water so that the rodent floats to the surface of the earth. All that remains is to grab the animal and do with it as you wish.
So, conclusions should be drawn:
Mole rats are voracious pests that also live a long time. To save your harvest, you should urgently get rid of rodents using a method that each summer resident chooses for himself.
Source
The degree of similarity and difference between a mole and a mole rat
Despite their adaptation to underground existence, the difference between these animals is enormous.
Zoologists can easily list a lot of signs indicating species differences between a mole and a mole rat.
The relationship of animals to different species is indicated by different structures:
The diet and reproductive characteristics of these two underground creatures have nothing in common with each other.
The differences between a mole and a mole rat are due to the fact that the mole belongs to the order Insectivores, while mole rats belong to the order Rodents.
Moles are small predators that feed mainly on worms, insects and their larvae, mollusks, and centipedes.
A mole will not refuse a mouse lost in its labyrinths and weakened by hunger and cold; in dire need, it can eat carrion.
Mole rats feed on plant food, which is found in abundance in the fertile soil layer: rhizomes and underground shoots of cereals, bulbs and roots of other plant species.
When they come to the surface, they “graze” on greenery. They can eat insects and small invertebrates, but only when absolutely necessary.
Like all types of rodents, mole rats store large reserves of winter food (consisting mainly of grain).
Who digs what?
The way moles and mole rats dig holes is fundamentally different. The first uses wide, spade-shaped front paws with long, strong, flat nails. The mole's snout is delicate and does not participate in the process.
The burrowing organs of the second are powerful incisors protruding from the mouth, which can be of considerable length (the animal, distinguished by its evil character, easily uses them when defending its territory).
Folds of skin that almost close around the mouth opening help prevent soil from getting into the mouth when digging, leaving only a narrow vertical gap.
The nostrils of a mole rat (if there is a sufficiently large nose) are narrow, and they are also reliably protected from dirt getting into them by “filters” made of coarse hair.
Since the front paws are not involved in making underground passages, they are not much different from rat paws.
About animal reproduction
In the question of how a mole differs from a mole rat, one of the key points is the reproduction process.
Mole rats are typical rodents with postpartum estrus typical for females of the order. This means that the female who has brought offspring is ready to mate almost immediately after the birth of the cubs (the same phenomenon explains the incredible fertility of rabbits).
Female moles are not so fertile - they give one litter (out of 3-9 cubs), the second - very rarely.
Both species of animals are mammals - the cubs are born alive and the females nurse them with milk until they become independent.
Similar features
The physique of a mole and a mole rat is strikingly different. If in the first the wedge of the snout continues into an elongated body with clearly visible parts, then in the second it is a large rounded head, almost without transition, continuing into a cylindrical body.
But at the same time, the development of sense organs has many similarities.
Moles are completely devoid of ears, their eyes also exist only nominally - they have neither a retina nor a lens.
The tiny eye slits are protected from soil by tightly closed eyelids. A sensitive sense of smell and a well-developed sense of touch helps the mole navigate.
The surface of the mole rat's head also does not reveal the presence of eyes and ears - the first (reduced) are hidden by a fold of skin, in place of the outer ear there is a not too convex ridge, hidden by thick hair.
The nose is protected from abrasion by dense skin that forms a horny sheath.
The cubs of both moles and mole rats, having begun to show aggressiveness and pugnacity early, move away from their mothers as early as 2-3 months; both animals are characterized by cannibalism.
The lifespan of both animals is about 4-5 years (in mole rats it can reach 9 years).
The body dimensions depend on the type of animal - in the small white-toothed mole rat they are comparable to the body length of the common mole (about 13 cm with a weight of up to 100 g).
