Mole
Featured in: Year 2: Living things and their habitats
Reading level:
Mole
Mammal
A small, burrowing mammal that lives underground in dark tunnels.
💡 Fun Facts
- Moles can dig up to 18 metres (60 feet) of tunnel in a single day!
- They have extra thumbs on their front paws to help them dig.
- They are not blind, but they have very poor eyesight; they rely mostly on smell and touch.
Name Story
Talpa europaea
means “the earth-thrower”
What does its name mean?
- Talpa — moleLatin
- europaea — EuropeanLatin
- mole — a worn-down 'mouldywarp' — earth + throw, 'the earth-thrower'English (from Middle English moldewarp)
The word "mole" is a shrunken version of an older name, "mouldywarp", meaning "earth-thrower" — which is exactly what it does, shoving up little heaps of soil as molehills while it tunnels unseen below the lawn.