io6 ] Animals in the Wild 



have been tunneling there. But though they live near human 

 dwellings, moles are seldom seen. This endows them with a rather 

 mysterious quality for a child, who quite naturally wonders how 

 an animal can dig up the ground while it is actually under it. 



How the Mole Burrows: When the mole is digging, it braces 

 itself with one of its short powerful front paws while the other 

 pushes the soil upward this is how the ridges that disfigure 

 your lawn are created. To make deeper tunnels, the mole scoops 

 the earth under its body and pushes it as far back as possible with 

 its back feet. Every now and then the mole turns a somersault and 

 then proceeds in the opposite direction, shoving the accumulated 

 pile of dirt along until it comes to a vertical tunnel excavated on a 

 previous occasion. Here the mole forces the dirt up into the open, 

 forming the proverbial "molehill." 



The mole's nest, lined with grass and leaves, is some six to 

 twelve inches below the surface of the ground. A main passageway 

 leads from the nest to a series of tunnels extending in all direc- 

 tions. Most of these tunnels lead in turn to hunting grounds 

 where worms and grubs abound; but one tunnel is reserved for an 

 emergency exit when danger threatens. 



PRAIRIE DOGS MASTER ENGINEERS 



The chubby rodents known as prairie dogs they were mis- 

 named by early pioneers in the plains region are also remarkable 

 excavators. We do not have a clear picture of just how they carry 

 out their elaborate digging operations, but we know that each 

 prairie dog family has a burrow of its own consisting of a main 

 shaft which goes straight down about fourteen feet. Horizontal 

 tunnels branch out from the shaft to the animals' sleeping quarters. 

 Other vertical shafts rise from some of the horizontal tunnels 

 and are probably used as safety zones in case the lower levels are 

 flooded. The burrows are grouped together in large colonies, 

 sometimes called "towns." There is reason to believe that some of 

 these towns once had a million or more inhabitants! 



Tall Tales: Many fantastic stories have been told about a cozy 

 alliance between prairie dogs, burrowing owls, and rattlesnakes 



