Mole gallery map: Understanding, identifying, and managing subterranean networks

You’re likely here because you’re asking yourself, “What animal is digging tunnels in my garden?” You’ve come to the right place to get all the information, diagrams, and solutions you need. Moles, these small burrowing mammals, are as fascinating as they are a nuisance. Their relentless digging leaves a clear sign of their presence: molehills. These mounds of dirt are the visible evidence of an intricate network of underground tunnels right in your garden. While these dirt piles are often seen as an annoyance in lawns and cultivated fields, they are in fact the result of a mole’s tireless work. As an indefatigable builder, the mole carves out a vast network of galleries, creating a true labyrinth just below the ground’s surface.

In this article, we’ll give you a comprehensive look at the complexity of a mole’s underground network. You’ll discover how their tunnels are organized and get all the tools you need to effectively identify and deal with this persistent little digger.

1.The Mole: An Unsung Subterranean Architect

The European mole (Talpa Europaea) is an insectivorous mammal that has developed an incredible ability to live entirely underground. It’s a common misconception that moles are blind; they aren’t. While their vision is poor, it’s just enough to detect changes in light. They make up for this limited eyesight with a highly developed sense of smell and an extremely fine sense of touch.

Their front paws are short and powerful, armed with strong claws they use like shovels to dig their subterranean tunnels. This constant digging is what leads to the creation of molehills. To clear the excavated soil from their paths, moles push it up and out, forming the mounds of dirt you see on the surface.

Despite their disruptive appearance and the fact that they can be a real headache for kids playing or for anyone trying to mow the lawn, moles aren’t actually pests. They don’t eat plants. However, their tunnels can interfere with human activities and can even lead to an ankle injury if a gallery collapses under your foot.

Mole Biology and Lifestyle

To truly grasp the mole’s gallery map, you first need to understand the basics of its biology and lifestyle.

• Size and weight: Adult moles measure between 10 and 20 cm in length and weigh between 60 and 150 grams. Males are typically heavier than females.
• Appearance: Moles are covered in dense, velvety fur that is black or grayish-black and has no grain. Their front paws are very short but incredibly strong. They use their robust claws for digging, and their eyes are tucked away beneath their fur.
• Vision and hearing: A mole’s eyesight is very weak, but its hearing is exceptionally sharp. In fact, it uses its hearing to locate earthworms and hunt them in its underground tunnels. It’s this drive to find food that compels the mole to constantly dig new galleries.
• Sense of smell and touch: Moles have a very keen sense of smell and a highly developed sense of touch. They can feel every vibration in the ground thanks to their vibrissae (whiskers) and their tail, which they keep raised and in contact with the tunnel walls. These two organs act as their guides through their tunnels.
• Diet: Moles are not herbivores. As true insectivores, they feed mainly on earthworms, which make up 80 to 90% of their diet. They also eat insects, larvae, and other underground invertebrates, using their tunnels as hunting grounds. The more food they need, the more they expand their tunnel network.
• Activity: Moles are active all year long. In the summer, they burrow deeper because the dry soil makes it harder to find food, and in the winter, they create deeper tunnels to stay warm and shallower ones to avoid flooding in certain areas. They simply never stop digging to maintain their gallery system and meet their needs.

2.Schéma typique d’une galerie de taupe

Tunnels are generally less than 15 cm deep but can extend down to 50 cm. Let’s now break down each part of this tunnel map so we can fully understand it.

3.The Mole’s Tunnel Network: A True Underground World

This is the main topic that brought you here: understanding the mole’s gallery map. The network of this burrowing animal is made up of many different branches, each designed to optimize its movement and hunting activities.

Main Galleries: The Highway of the Network

You can identify the main galleries by the long, continuous lines of dirt mounds they create. The mole uses these main galleries 6 to 7 times a day. They are more rounded than other tunnels (you’ll see this if you open one up). The mole’s main gallery is typically 15 to 25 cm below the surface, and sometimes as deep as 50 cm.

Since they connect the entire network, the mole uses these main galleries most often for navigation and quick travel underground.

The Mole’s Hunting Tunnels

Moles also dig shallower tunnels, just below the soil surface. These are temporary hunting tunnels, used by a single mole. A mole digs a hunting tunnel the moment it smells or hears an earthworm.

It then digs the tunnel, eats the worm, and doesn’t necessarily return. These are therefore temporary tunnels that the mole generally uses just once.

A mole’s tunnels are quite narrow, typically no more than 5 to 6 cm in diameter—just big enough for the mole to move through.

Surface Galleries: A Raised Road

A mole’s burrow also includes surface galleries, which are easy to spot. These tunnels are so close to the ground that they form a raised ridge in the soil. You can literally see the mole’s entire gallery system just by looking at the raised earth along its path.

These surface galleries appear in one of three situations:

1. Male moles are searching for females during mating season.
2. Young moles are digging their first tunnels and don’t have enough strength to dig deeper underground.
3. A mole is creating surface tunnels to avoid waterlogged soil deeper down during a storm.

When you see a surface gallery, it’s important to act fast. A mole will churn up the surface of your garden, and you risk twisting an ankle if you step on a tunnel that collapses under your weight.

The Deep Tunnels of the Network

The mole also digs tunnels that are much deeper than the rest of its network. It uses these for protection from predators and from the cold. It’s often in these deeper sections that the mole will build its nest to raise its young.

Unlike the surface tunnels, a deep mole gallery is far less accessible to predators. This is why the mole will store decapitated earthworms in a subterranean pantry there and why it chooses this spot for its nest.

The Mole’s Nest

Underground, the mole creates its own little world. As a mammal, it also prepares a nest lined with plants that generate warmth as they ferment. The mole uses this nest to give birth to its young and protect them.The nesting chamber is located at the center of the tunnel network, allowing the mole to move around easily while staying protected.

A mole may change its nest several times to keep its babies safe. The nest is usually located under the largest molehill in your garden, since the mole has to dig much more to create it than for a simple gallery or surface tunnel.

What to Do About a Mole Hole?

A mole’s tunnels are sometimes accompanied by open holes. This is surprising, as the mole relies on the depth of its tunnels for protection, and leaving an opening poses a great risk. This situation happens for one of two reasons:

1. The mole has moved on to create a new tunnel network elsewhere.
2. The mole will come back very quickly to seal the hole. If you see a hole that stays open for several days, it means the mole has left to dig a new gallery network farther away. If you find a mole hole, keep a close watch on it. If the mole comes back to seal the hole, it’s still very active. If it doesn’t, you can expect to see new molehills appear in a few days.

General Network Information

A mole’s tunnel network typically spans between 100 and 200 meters, but it can also cover over 100 square meters. Moles have even been observed with networks as large as 4 km! The tunnels form a complex system with many branches, all serving a specific purpose. Digging at a rate of 10 to 20 meters of tunnels per day, the mole is constantly expanding its area of activity. Tunnels serve both to protect the mole and to help it find food. In fact, the more the mole digs, the greater the number of earthworms that fall into its tunnels. And it’s this constant digging for food that results in new molehills appearing every single day.

The mole also establishes a complete ventilation system in its tunnels and can feel the slightest change in airflow within the various branches.

How to Identify a Mole Gallery

Correctly identifying a mole tunnel is key to choosing the right method to manage them. Here are the main signs to look for:

Molehills:

• Molehills have a conical or dome shape.
• They are made of fine, sifted soil.
• The opening is usually in the center of the mound.
• The presence of a “dirt sausage” can confirm mole activity.
• Moles can move up to 3 kg of soil before bringing it to the surface.
• Molehills are spaced out and can appear in a regular pattern.

Mole holes: Moles don’t typically leave open holes.

How to Get Rid of Mole Tunnels

To protect your garden from tunnels dug by moles, QuickTaupe offers a complete kit. In addition to the trapping equipment, it includes full support from one of our expert mole catchers. No matter where you are, they will guide you in your fight against moles if your garden is overrun with dirt mounds.

Visit our online store to see the solutions we offer to help you put an end to this network of subterranean tunnels. If you need any additional diagrams of mole tunnels, please don’t hesitate to ask.