Do moles have eyes?
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Susan Steeb, age 11, of Indianapolis, Indiana,. for her question:
Do moles have eyes?
A mole's eyes are not much bigger than pinheads, but they are there, hidden under his soft velvety fur. Most people think that he is totally blind, which is almost true. He can detect the difference between daylight and darkness, but he sees nothing in clear detail.. To the mole, however, this is no handicap. He spends all his time underground and since he rarely pauses a moment to rest, the day and night periods do not interest him at all.
Naturalists say that he is the most hardworking of all the mammals. In 24 hours, he can dig about 100 yards of tunnel, searching for grubs, bugs and other edible items. The little six inch digger expends so much energy that every calendar day he needs to eat enough food to equal his own weight. True, he raises a few mounds on the lawn. But his tunnels help to irrigate and aerate the soil. What's more, the almost blind mole is one of nature's best defenses against the insect pests that attack plant roots down there in the dark, crumbly soil.