The word 'mole' has so many meanings, but here we are talking about the animal.
Moles are small mammals that are found all over the world. They are often thought of as garden pests, mainly because of their intricate tunnel systems. And though they spend most of the time underground, they are not blind. What they lack in sight, they make up for in their sense of touch. All moles have very sensitive snouts and long, clawed digits that they use to dig tunnels.
Males and females are solitary for most of the year, occupying exclusive territories. With the start of the breeding season males enlarge their territories, tunnelling over large areas in search of females. Within the tunnel system moles construct one or more spherical nest chambers, each lined with a ball of dry plant material. Nests are used for sleeping and for raising young.
I didn't think we had moles in Australia, but we do. We have marsupial moles. Unlike European moles they are small, blind and hairy – and rarely seen by humans.
We have very few books in the library that could be used to research moles, but they are very popular characters in stories and are usually depicted as being cute but cantankerous at times.
Look for:
• Mole and Friends series by Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban
• The series Mouse and Mole by Joyce Dunbar and James Mayhew
• The Bear and Mole series by Will Hillenbrand
• Mouse and Mole series by Wong Herbert Yee
• The Mole Sisters by Roslyn Schwartz
• Secret Agent Mole by James Foley
And these stand alones:
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