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MOLE, VOLE OR GOPHER? |
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by Eunice Messner
It is best to know your enemy before you wage a war. Most of us recognize the 6" to 12" long gopher with its long incisor teeth. It uses its jaws to lift and remove rocks and pebbles from its path as it advances. Their fur is a mottled light brown. They mate only once a year (January - April) and produce a litter of maybe five. Their life span may be up to 12 years. Gophers are noted for their magic of "here today and gone tomorrow" for any growing thing in the garden. Their tunnels may be 12" deep or more. Fresh activity is evidenced by a large mound of dirt pushed up to one side of an opening -- like a mine dump. A "mole hill" however, may be distinguished by its volcano shape, with the opening being in the center of the hill. Moles are 6" to 8" long with large front paws, hidden ears and virtually useless eyes. Their pointy front teeth are too weak to dig through compacted soil or gnaw through roots or bulbs. It uses its remarkable hearing to locate prey. They were once prized for their dark brown, velvety fur which can point forward or backward to facilitate movement. Moles are loners and a territory may contain only one or two in an area. Moles are primarily beneficial, in that they are insectivorous and eat grubs in lawns, spiders, centipedes and earthworms but they also aerate the soil. It is the raised tunnels in the lawn that a homeowner finds objectionable. Voles are vegetarian, 4" to 6" long (including tail), with grayish tan fur. They are actually a field mouse-- a short stubby version of a house mouse. Their close to the surface tunnels are only 1" to 2" wide. They produce up to 30 young annually with possibly hundreds sharing a feeding ground. Their diet consists of plants and roots.
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