Does the mole have eyes

Content

1 Appearance
2 Why do we need eyes
3 Not all moles can see
4 The reason for the difference of organs of vision

: Mole's eyes

: Mole

Ever since childhood, every schoolboy was told that moles - these are blind underground animals. No one wanted to challenge this opinion, guided by the fact that under the ground eyes are not needed. But it became interesting to some scientists and naturalists to check whether the mole has eyes and how well he sees them. At first glance at this unusual animal impossible to notice the eyes and ears. The head has a streamlined shape with an elongated nose and a small mouth. But besides this, the animal has excellent hearing and poor eyesight.But his underground lifestyle determined the presence of an unusual structure of the sense organs.

Appearance

Moles lead a life hidden from prying eyes, spending all the time in their underground passages and burrows looking for food. They are rarely chosen to the surface of the earth, so there is no way to see them more closely. But if you carefully approach the animal, it may allow you to consider yourself. It is impossible to say for sure whether moles see their surroundings or rely only on their instincts.

Most often in central Russia can be found common mole. If you look closely at the place on his head where the organs of vision should be located, small round eyes are noticeable. They are almost hidden by wool. In some species, the mole's eyes are hidden under the skin fold, which can grow together and completely hide the visual organ. The ears have an internal structure and are also covered with thick hair.

Mole's eyes

Why do we need eyes

Asking the question: moles are blind or not, another mystery arises - whether these secretive inhabitants of holes have a need for vision. Wading through the underground tunnels in complete darkness, the animal relies entirely on hearing and smell. This is quite enough to detect Mole's favorite treat in the form of an insect.

There are several reasons why the eyes of a mole are needed:

low vision helps to navigate in space, getting to the surface of the earth;
sometimes the animal can see a predator on its way, which contributes to its escape from danger;
getting into the snow drifts, the excavator relies on his eyesight to make his moves through the snow;
Some species of animals overcome water obstacles, focusing with the help of visual organs.

Interesting!
If vision is of great importance in the life of an underground resident, then why are his eyes so small. This is explained quite easily: in constant movement underground and paving the way through the soil, his eyes are constantly being polluted. If they were not protected by thick hair or skin folds, the mucous membrane of the eyeball could be vulnerable to inflammation.

Not all moles can see

Among the many species of these animals there are representatives with fairly good eyesight. These include long-tailed moles. The structure of their eyes is very similar to shrews, which are able to distinguish all objects and respond quickly to danger.

The small mole living in the southern countries of Europe has a fold above its already small eyes. For this sign they call him blind. But he can distinguish light through a crease. The Caucasian species of animal has the same crease above its eyes.

Mole

On a note!
The presence of eyes in some species of shrews is often associated with their need to get to the surface of the earth. Animals that are almost always in deep burrows do not have an optic nerve.

There are absolutely blind animals. These are marsupial moles. They have no optic nerve, and pigment spots are located at the site of the eye. The gilded also see nothing. Their eyes are at a depth of 4-5 mm under the skin. Even light flashes for these kinds of dredgers will not be distinguishable.

The absence of the optic nerve is compensated by other more acute senses. The nose of an underground resident has a tactile function. Touching them to the worm, the animal recognizes the temperature of the body of the worm, its size, species. The developed sense of smell of an animal allows you to smell the enemy at a distance or find a sexual partner.

The reason for the difference of organs of vision

Many representatives of the shrew, for example, Moles and shrews are very different in appearance, size, lifestyle, habitat. This could not but affect the development or reduction of their vision. Those species that inhabit the upper layers of the soil, often get out or swim over the water bodies, definitely need a visual organ.

Representatives of underground inhabitants have no eyes, because in deep holes there is no need for this rudiment. This explains why the moles are blind. Such metamorphoses prove that evolution does not stand still, and many species of animals eventually change their structure under the influence of external factors.