How big do moles get?

How big do moles get?

Description of a Mole A mole is 4 to 7 inches in length with paddle-shaped feet and prominent digging claws. It has an elongated head and snout, small eyes, and no external ears. The short black-to-brownish-gray fur has no grain, which allows the mole to move easily forward and backward in the tunnels.

Are moles hairless?

Size. These rotund animals have a hairless, pointed snout, small eyes and no visible ears. On average, moles grow to 4.4 to 6.25 inches (11.3 to 15.9 centimeters) long from snout to rump. Their tails add 1 to 1.6 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) of length.

Are naked mole-rats smart?

While the EQ of naked mole-rats is rather low, several features suggest they may nevertheless be quite intelligent: as outlined above, they communicate widely among conspecifics, they are playful and anticipatory, with even some reports of tool use.

What is difference between mole and vole?

A mole has a pointed snout, enlarged front feet, and eyes and ears so tiny that they are not visible. A vole, also called a meadow mouse, has rounded ears and body and is reddish or brown and black in color with a gray underside.

What is special about the naked mole rat?

A quarter of a mole-rat’s muscle mass is in its jaws. Naked mole-rats use their powerful jaws and very large incisors to dig through hard-packed soil. Bonus: Their lips close behind their front teeth, which keeps dirt out of their mouths when digging!

How old is the oldest naked mole-rat?

We report a new record for the world’s longest-lived rodent, a male naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber). On the basis of his weight at capture, this animal was approximately 1 year old when collected near Mtito Andei, Kenya in July/August 1974. He died in April 2002, indicating that he lived for more than 28 years.

How is the queen determined with naked mole-rats?

When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die—and the same idea pretty much applies for crowning the queen of a naked mole-rat colony. A select group of two or three male mole-rats receive the additional privilege of mating with their matriarch.

How do I identify a vole?

Voles in the Yard They are most commonly mistaken for mice, but can be identified by their stockier bodies and shorter tails. Voles also look like moles, but the latter have enlarged forefeet with claws and no external ears. Shrews resemble voles as well, but these pests are much smaller and have long, pointed snouts.

What is the difference in a mole and a vole?

How big does a male mole rat get?

The male mole-rat is between 3 and 4-inches long and will weigh between 1.1 and 1.2-ounces. The females (called queens) are larger and can weigh as much as 1.8-ounces with the largest recorded at approx. 2.8-ounces.

What kind of skin does a mole rat have?

Don’t forget to stop by the new naked mole-rat exhibit on your next visit to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Naked mole-rats have wrinkly pink or grayish-pink skin, which is somewhat translucent on their undersides and light purplish-brown on their backs and tails. This countershading appears to be lost with advanced age.

How many mole rats live in a cluster?

A cluster of Naked Mole-Rats makes up a single community with each having specific roles. Clusters have an average of 75 to 80 mole-rats (but can be as high as 300 animals) who all live together in a complex array of burrows underground. Photo credit courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.

Are there any mole rats in East Africa?

The naked mole rat population is not under any threat and they are not considered to be threatened because they are widespread in large numbers across East Africa, especially the dry parts. Their main threat comes in the form of predators, the key predators being snakes such as the Kenyan Sand Boa and Raptors.