How big does a European mole get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown European mole (Talpa europaea) reaches an average size of 12.9 cm (0′ 6″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 7 years, they grow from 3 grams (0.01 lbs) to 86 grams (0.19 lbs). Talking about reproduction, European moles have 3 babies about 1 times per year. The European mole (genus: Talpa) is a member of the family Talpidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The European mole (Talpa europaea) is a mammal of the order Eulipotyphla. It is also known as the common mole and the northern mole.This mole lives in a tunnel system, which it constantly extends. It uses these tunnels to hunt its prey. Under normal conditions the displaced earth is pushed to the surface, resulting in the characteristic molehills. It feeds mainly on earthworms, but also on insects, centipedes and even mice and shrews. Its saliva contains toxins which paralyze earthworms in particular.
Animals of the same family as a European mole
We found other animals of the Talpidae family:
- Coast mole with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- Himalayan mole with a size of 12.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Large mole with a size of 14.9 cm (0′ 6″)
- Star-nosed mole with a size of 11.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Japanese shrew mole with a size of 9 cm (0′ 4″)
- Altai mole with a size of 16.9 cm (0′ 7″)
- Pyrenean desman with a size of 12.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Small Japanese mole with a size of 14 cm (0′ 6″)
- True’s shrew mole with a size of 6.5 cm (0′ 3″)
- Russian desman with a size of 20.3 cm (0′ 8″)
Animals with the same size as a European mole
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as European mole:
- Himalayan striped squirrel with a size of 10.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Panamanian spiny pocket mouse with a size of 12.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Fawn antechinus with a size of 11.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Gould’s mouse with a size of 10.8 cm (0′ 5″)
- Narrow-faced kangaroo rat with a size of 12.6 cm (0′ 5″)
- Island tube-nosed fruit bat with a size of 13.4 cm (0′ 6″)
- Hylaeamys megacephalus with a size of 12.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Jentink’s flying squirrel with a size of 13.1 cm (0′ 6″)
- Pink fairy armadillo with a size of 13.5 cm (0′ 6″)
- Dwarf fat-tailed mouse opossum with a size of 11.3 cm (0′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a European mole
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a European mole:
- Deroo’s mouse
- Desert hedgehog
- Shipton’s mountain cavy
- Bailey’s pocket mouse
- Japanese mountain mole
- Painted spiny pocket mouse
- Large vlei rat
- Long-tailed marmot
- Ring-tailed cat
- Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a European mole
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a European mole:
- Talazac’s shrew tenrec with an average maximal age of 5.83 years
- Long-eared hedgehog with an average maximal age of 6.75 years
- Numbat with an average maximal age of 6 years
- House mouse with an average maximal age of 6 years
- Kowari with an average maximal age of 7 years
- Rufous elephant shrew with an average maximal age of 6 years
- Serotine bat with an average maximal age of 6 years
- Mountain degu with an average maximal age of 7.33 years
- Gray dorcopsis with an average maximal age of 8 years
- Red-tailed chipmunk with an average maximal age of 8 years
Animals with the same weight as a European mole
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Talpa europaea:
- Oecomys cleberi bringing 73 grams to the scale
- Thomas’s Oldfield mouse bringing 77 grams to the scale
- Gray-footed chipmunk bringing 70 grams to the scale
- Roman mole bringing 92 grams to the scale
- Slender rat bringing 97 grams to the scale
- Thomas’s mosaic-tailed rat bringing 90 grams to the scale
- Big deer mouse bringing 71 grams to the scale
- Long-nosed mosaic-tailed rat bringing 82 grams to the scale
- Long-tailed mountain rat bringing 79 grams to the scale
- Townsend’s mole bringing 70 grams to the scale