Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Hairy-tailed mole

I saw this little critter a few mornings ago while out walking in Bolton, MA. The hairy-tailed mole, Parascalops breweri, is one of 3 mole species found here. It prefers dry, loose soil in wooded or open habitat. Check out this video of this mole after it ran to the other side of the road and attempted to tunnel to safety:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZiAJQZLfxU&feature=youtu.be

The other two species are the eastern mole, which looks similar but has a naked tail, and the star-nosed mole, which has a longer hairy tail and tentacles on its nose. The latter species lives in wet areas and is semi-aquatic.



Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 25, 2013 at 10:24 PM

    Stuck (literally!) between a rock and a hard place. What a frightening place to live!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Janet PesaturoJune 26, 2013 at 6:47 AM

    Yes, I know s/he was scared. I did leave as soon as I finished taping, so I hope s/he was not too traumatized.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SusanJune 26, 2013 at 7:52 AM

      I'd have been traumatized by the traffic sounds alone. It makes you wonder how such "wee beasties" manage to survive. Nice video.

      Delete
    2. SusanJune 26, 2013 at 7:52 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Janet PesaturoJune 26, 2013 at 8:45 AM

      Lucky for both me and the mole, we were actually on a quiet little road; the traffic sounds were coming from the road running perpendicular to ours.

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)