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Moles – The Hole and Tunnel Makers

Gardeners usually don’t like moles very much because they dig holes and tunnels in the yard, but you have to admit, moles are kind of cute! These little are

about the size of a chipmunk. They’re usually brownish gray to black and they live in North America, Europe, Asia and even parts of Africa. There are no moles in Ireland.

Moles look a little like mice or squirrels, but more all about moles is that they’re not .These little animals are about the size of a chipmunk.

Moles look a little like mice or squirrels, but they’re not rodents. They are digging animals that love to eat bugs. Their favorite food is worms. One mole can eat over 50 pounds of worms in one year. Moles also eat , spiders and grubs. Sponsored Links :

Moles have curved front paws and claws that dig like shovels. They build long tunnels and underground homes.

Fun Facts about Moles for Kids

 Moles have curved front paws and claws that dig like shovels. They build long tunnels and underground homes.

 Moles can dig up to 18 feet in one hour. Fun Meerkat Facts for Kids

Check out our fun meerkat facts for kids. Learn about the many different noise signals meerkats have if predators are approaching, how many meerkats are in a 'clan', where in the world meerkats live and much more.

Read on and enjoy a variety of interesting information about meerkats.

 The meerkat, also called a suricate, is a in the and is the only member of the mongoose family that doesn't have a bushy tail.  Meerkats live in areas of clumpy grassland and deserts in the southern area of the African continent, including the in Botswana, the Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa.  A family group of meerkats can be called a 'mob', 'gang' or 'clan'. These groups usually contain around 20 meerkats but sometimes have as many as 50.  Meerkats live on average 7 - 10 years in the wild, and 12 - 14 years in captivity.  Adult meerkats are about 25 - 35 cm (9.8 - 13.8 in) tall when standing upright.  The meerkat uses its tail to balance when standing upright. They often stand up in the morning to absorb heat on their bellies after a long cold desert night.  Meerkats are very good at digging, they have long, strong, curved claws that they use for digging .  Within their the clan usually have up to 5 different burrows that they sleep in at night. The burrows have multiple entrances and can be 5 m deep.  Meerkats mainly eat insects but also lizards, snakes, , spiders, plants, eggs, small , centipedes and fungi. They are immune to certain types of snake and venom.  Meerkats have excellent eyesight, they can spot predators in the air from more than 300 m away. They have great peripheral vision and the dark patches around their eyes cut glare from the hot desert surface.  A clan of meerkats will always have one "sentry" on guard to watch out for predators while the others forage for food.  If the meerkat on guard spots danger, it barks loudly or whistles in one of six different ways. For example if the threat is of low, medium or high urgency and if the predator is in the air or on the ground.  For a high-urgency land predator alarm call, meerkats will scatter down their nearest entrance. For a high-urgency aerial predator alarm call, they will crouch down and may look skyward.

 Moles have a good sense of smell, but they don’t see very well. In fact, their eyes are

Fun Facts for Kids

Check out our range of fun badger facts for kids. Learn what a group of is called, what they eat, how many species of badgers there are and much more. Read on and enjoy a variety of interesting information about badgers.

 Badgers are part of the family this is the same family as , , polecats, and .  There are 11 species of badger, grouped into 3 types, the Melinae (Eurasian badgers), Mellivorinae () and Taxideinae ().  Badgers are found in North America, Ireland, Great Britain and most of Europe. There are species in Japan, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. The honey badger is found in sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Desert, Turkmenistan, and India.  Badgers are nocturnal mammals.  Badgers have stocky bodies with short legs that are suitable for digging. They digs burrows underground called a sett. Their sett are often a maze of tunnels and chambers for sleeping around 6 badgers, setts are kept very clean.  The badger has an elongated head with small ears and a distinctive black and white face, their body has greyish with black and white areas underneath.  Badgers can grow to nearly a meter in length. The is larger than the American badger and the Honey badger.  Badgers on average weigh around 9 - 11 kg (20 - 24 lbs).  The badger can run up to 30 km/h (19 mph) for a short period of time.  A male badger is called a boar, the female is called a sow and the young are called cubs.  A group of badgers is called a cete, although they are often called clans. There are usually 2 - 15 badgers in a cete.  The honey badger is a carnivorous species that has the reputation of being the most fearless and vicious of all mammals.  Badgers were eaten in Britain during World War II and were once part of the Native American and settlers diets in the US. Russia still eats badger meat today.  Badgers have featured in lots of British literature over the years, such as Brian Jacques' Redwall series, "Tommy Brock" in Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mr. Tod, "Bill Badger" in Mary Tourtel's Rupert , "Mr. Badger" in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows and "Trufflehunter" in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

 they’re very small and covered in fur.

 Moles don’t hibernate. They work all year round to catch

Fun Earthworm Facts for Kids

 An earthworm is an invertebrate with a long, stretchy body and no legs. It is a type of annelid.  There are thousands [5,500] of known species of worms. They can be found everywhere, except in polar or dry climates. Their size varies: they can be between two centimeters and about three meters in length. The biggest known earthworm is the Giant Gippsland Earthworm, one of about 1 000 earthworm species found in Australia. They are usually about 80cm in length, but can grow to about 3 meters. Some other worms are Tapeworm and roundworm. Both of those worms are parasites.  The most common earthworm (in Europe, and most other temperate climate regions) can grow to a size of about 20-25 cm when extended.  Most earthworms can regrow lost segments. This capability varies by species though.  Long ago, all animals looking like worms were lumped together by John Ray, and by Linnaeus in their classifications. Later, biologists found that some were in quite different groups. Roundworms and flatworms are different phyla. Inchworms are a type of caterpillar, and the slow-worm is a legless lizard.

Fun Rabbit Facts for Kids

Check out our fun rabbit facts for kids. Learn about rabbit ears, where they live, what a young rabbit is called and much more.

Read on and enjoy a variety of interesting information about rabbits

 A female rabbit is called a doe.  A male rabbit is called a buck.  A young rabbit is called a kit (or kitten).  Rabbits live in groups.  The European rabbit lives underground, in burrows. A group of burrows is known as a warren.  More than half of the world’s rabbits live in North America.  Rabbits have long ears which can be as long as 10 cm (4 in).  Rabbits have a lifespan of around 10 years.  Rabbits are herbivores (plant eaters).  Pet rabbits that live inside are often referred to as ‘house rabbits’.  Rabbits reproduce very quickly. This can be a major headache for people living in agricultural areas where rabbits are seen as pests.  Rabbits are born with their eyes closed and without fur.

 These little animals paralyze worms and insects with poison in their saliva. Then they store the insects in an underground room to eat later.

Fun Facts for Kids 1. There are over 12,000 ant species worldwide Ranging from the ant you might find scuttling across your picnic to building underground fortresses in the rainforest! 2. The bullet ant is said to have the most painful sting in the world! Living in humid jungle conditions such as the Amazon, their sting has been compared to being hit by a bullet – ouch! 3. Fire ants cause over £3 billion worth of damage a year! North America’s red imported fire ant might only be little, but the tiny critters have a painful bite which causes a burning sensation – hence the name “fire ant”, which costs the US millions in veterinaryand medical bills every year! They’ve also been known to cause damage to farmer’s crops. 4. Ants are the longest living insects Unlike some bugs who might only live for days or even hours, the queen ant of one particular species – the Pogonomyrmex Owyheei – can live up to 30 years – so be careful not to stand on her! 5. The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its size A single ant can carry 50 times its own bodyweight, and they’ll even work together to move bigger objects as a group!

Ants work together to carry leaves and twigs back tot their nests 6. Ants hold the record for the fastest movement in the animal kingdom The aptly named species of trap jaw ant, can close its jaws at 140mph, which it uses to kill its prey or injure predators. Image if that bit you on the bum! 7. Ants can be found on every single continent except Antarctica Ironic really, when you consider the name… 8. Ants are social insects which live in colonies The colony, also called a formicary, is made up of one or more egg-laying queens and a large amount of female “worker” ants who tend to her, build and maintain the nest, forage for food and and care for the young. Male ants have wings and their only function is to mate with the queen. 9. Ants don’t have ears, and some of them don’t have eyes! Ants “listen” by feeling vibrations from the ground through their feet, and eye-less ants such as the driver ant species can communicate by using their antennae! Plus, they can send chemical signals (called pheremones) released through their body to send messages to other ants! They send out warnings when danger’s near, leave trails of pheremones leading to food sources and even use them to attract a mate – a sort of ant love potion! 10. The largest ant’s nest ever found was over 3,700 miles wide! Found in Argentina in 2000, the ginormous colony housed 33 ant populations which had merged into one giant supercolony, with millions of nests and billions of workers!