European mole
| European mole Temporal range: Early Middle Pleistocene to recent | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Talpidae |
| Genus: | Talpa |
| Species: | T. europaea |
| Binomial name | |
| Talpa europaea | |
| European mole range | |
The European mole (Talpa europaea) is a mammal of the order Eulipotyphla. It is also known as the common mole and the northern mole.
This mole lives in a tunnel system, which it constantly extends. It uses these tunnels to hunt its prey. Under normal conditions, the displaced earth is pushed to the surface, resulting in the characteristic molehills. It is an omnivore that feeds mainly on earthworms, but also on insects, centipedes and mammals such as rodents and other moles. Its saliva contains toxins which paralyze earthworms in particular.