next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--Apple-Mail-4--108761876 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed Thanks, Dorothy. Just yesterday I received a note on star-nosed =20 moles from Mark Elderkin of N.S. Dept. of Natural Resources, Wildlife =20= Division, in Kentville. Here is what Mark wrote: On 16-Apr-12, at 10:16 PM, Mark Elderkin wrote: > Star-nosed Moles are very cool mammals. Habitats in Nova Scotia =20 > are many and quite varied in my experience, but all with rich, =20 > moist friable (easily pulverized) soils and abundant invertebrate =20 > life. Just two weeks ago, while over in Port George looking for =20 > purple sandpipers, I found the lawn facing saltwater in front of =20 > one cabin mounded with lots of freshly mounded dark earth =20 > indicating fresh star-nosed mole digging. I have found them in =20 > thickets of both downy and speckled alder, in rich moist alluvial =20 > soils in hardwoods and mixed woods along river flood-plains, lawns, =20= > gardens, fields and many other sites. Star-nosed moles have an =20 > enormous mouth gape with very sharp teeth to wrestle large =20 > uncooperative prey, and the strange little nose, really masks the =20 > true mouth of the mole! Unlike shrews which are tough to swallow =20 > even for the hardiest dietary palate with their strong musk and =20 > venom, many predators seem to relish eating the occasional star-=20 > nosed mole. Adult Barred owls feed them to their hungry young in =20 > the nest, after removing the head prior to delivering it to ensure =20 > youngsters don't choke. :) P.S. Those 22? tentacle-like feelers making up the nose are extremely =20= sensory, allowing the moles to catch prey in situations with low or =20 no light, and, if memory serves, the tentacles are also known to be =20 electro-sensory (as are bottom-feeding sharks and skates?), so that =20 they can sense the metabolic electricity of the prey animals. Jim in =20= Wolfville. P.P.S. One more really neat aspect about the star-nosed moles: =20 Sometimes in Spring just after any winter snow disappears, in wettish =20= areas the moles' burrow system (which was under the snow but not =20 underground) can be seen on the surface of the ground for a while. =20 With no snow the moles will restrict their movements mostly to =20 underground (except maybe at night?). JW. ---------------------------- Begin forwarded message: > From: Dorothy Cameron <dorth@eastlink.ca> > Date: April 17, 2012 10:50:10 AM ADT > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: RE: [NatureNS] re moles? re holes in lawns > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > Jim, I guess I should have said we have mole-hills and not just =20 > holes, was just following the thread on =93holes=94 and I see we have =20= > some fresh ones this morning!! Even though we are on a hill the =20 > ground here is still quite damp and I have more moss in my lawn =20 > than actual grass, so I can see why we have them now. > > Dorothy > > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-=20 > owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of James W. Wolford > Sent: April-16-12 4:05 PM > To: NatureNS > Cc: Mike O'Brien; Mark F Elderkin > Subject: [NatureNS] re moles? re holes in lawns > > I will weigh in but am no expert. Star-nosed moles are common and =20 > widespread in Nova Scotia, and we have no other species of moles. =20 > However, some people might confuse the short-tailed shrew with a =20 > mole, because of the un-rodentlike fur and the fact that it is an =20 > insectivore like moles, not a rodent. Our moles usually do not =20 > make holes, but rather cause pushed-up mounds of earth (mole-=20 > hills), and they are active mostly at night, I believe, and =20 > generally in wettish lawn areas or edges of marshes. They do =20 > apparently come to the surface or near enough to the surface to be =20 > included in the menus of birds of prey like both owls and hawks. > > Now let's hear from others about our moles. Cheers from Jim in =20 > Wolfville. > > Begin forwarded message: > > > --Apple-Mail-4--108761876 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252 <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> Thanks, Dorothy. Just yesterday I received a note on star-nosed = moles from Mark Elderkin of N.S. Dept. of Natural Resources, Wildlife = Division, in Kentville. Here is what Mark = wrote:<div><br></div><div><div>On 16-Apr-12, at 10:16 PM, Mark Elderkin = wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: = separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: = normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: = normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; = text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: = 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-family: Tahoma; font-size: = 19px; "><div dir=3D"ltr">Star-nosed Moles are very cool mammals. = Habitats in Nova Scotia are many and quite varied in my = experience, but all with rich, moist friable (easily pulverized) soils = and abundant invertebrate life. Just two weeks ago, while over in = Port George looking for purple sandpipers, I found the lawn facing = saltwater in front of one cabin mounded with lots of freshly mounded = dark earth indicating fresh star-nosed mole digging. I have found = them in thickets of both downy and speckled alder, in rich moist = alluvial soils in hardwoods and mixed woods along river flood-plains, = lawns, gardens, fields and many other sites. Star-nosed moles have = an enormous mouth gape with very sharp teeth to wrestle large = uncooperative prey, and the strange little nose, really masks the true = mouth of the mole! Unlike shrews which are tough to swallow even = for the hardiest dietary palate with their strong musk and venom, = many predators seem to relish eating the occasional star-nosed mole. = Adult Barred owls feed them to their hungry young in the nest, = after removing the head prior to delivering it to ensure youngsters = don't choke. = :)</div></span></span></blockquote><div><br></div>P.S. Those 22? = tentacle-like feelers making up the nose are extremely sensory, allowing = the moles to catch prey in situations with low or no light, and, if = memory serves, the tentacles are also known to be electro-sensory (as = are bottom-feeding sharks and skates?), so that they can sense the = metabolic electricity of the prey animals. &n