Although moles are a thorn in the side of lawn lovers, many children and animal lovers are attracted to the protected animal. Here's how old a mole can get, what their life cycle looks like, and why they rarely reach their maximum age.
Moles have many enemies and rarely die natural deaths
The maximum age of moles
Experts disagree on how old a mole can get: some say a maximum of three, others four, and third sources even up to six years. In their natural environment, moles rarely live to be more than three years old, but biologically, a healthy mole could live up to five or six years.
Why doesn't the mole get older?
Besides the natural predators that prey on the mole, there are other dangers that the mole faces:
The diet of the mole
Moles can hardly store fat. Therefore, they must eat at least half their body weight during the day. If they don't, they'll starve. For the same reason, moles do not hibernate, but stock up on live worms for the winter and dig deeper into the ground for food.
Natural enemies of the mole
The number one enemy of the mole is humans. Although the animal is protected and hefty penalties await those who dare kill or hunt a mole, many moles fall prey to humans. This sometimes happens unintentionally, being run over on the street or being run over by the lawnmower.
Other predators of moles are mainly carnivorous birds such as eagle owls, tawny owls, ravens, gray herons, buzzards and others. Parasites and diseases can also shorten the mole's lifespan.
Mole life cycle
Mating season for moles is February/March. Four weeks after fertilization, the mother mole gives birth to two to eight young, on average three to four. They are initially blind and only open their eyes after about a week. They are breastfed for the first two months and leave the nest from the second month. Sexual maturity occurs at the second year of life.