http://www.nytimes.com
The question of how moles move all that dirt when they
tunnel just under the surface of lawns has never attracted
the extensive study that other forms of locomotion
— like the flight of birds and insects, or even the
jet-propulsion of jellyfish — have.
tunnel just under the surface of lawns has never attracted
the extensive study that other forms of locomotion
— like the flight of birds and insects, or even the
jet-propulsion of jellyfish — have.
But scientists at the University of Massachusetts
and Brown University have recently been asking exactly how,
and how hard, moles dig.
and Brown University have recently been asking exactly how,
and how hard, moles dig.
Yi-Fen Lin, a graduate student at the University
of Massachusetts, reported at a recent meeting of
the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
that moles seem to swim through the earth,
and that the stroke they use allows them to pack
a lot of power behind their shovel-like paws.
of Massachusetts, reported at a recent meeting of
the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
that moles seem to swim through the earth,
and that the stroke they use allows them to pack
a lot of power behind their shovel-like paws.
Ms. Lin measured the power of hairy-tailed moles
that she captured in Massachusetts and found they
could exert a force up to 40 times their body weight.
that she captured in Massachusetts and found they
could exert a force up to 40 times their body weight.
She also analyzed and presented X-ray videos taken
of moles in a laboratory enclosure tunneling their
way through a material chosen for its consistency
and uniform particle size: cous cous.
of moles in a laboratory enclosure tunneling their
way through a material chosen for its consistency
and uniform particle size: cous cous.
Angela M. Horner recorded the videos while studying
the movement of Eastern moles in the lab
of Thomas Roberts, a professor at Brown.
the movement of Eastern moles in the lab
of Thomas Roberts, a professor at Brown.
One reason moles have not been studied as much as
some other animals may be that they are not easy
to capture or keep in a laboratory.
some other animals may be that they are not easy
to capture or keep in a laboratory.
“People said, ‘You won’t be able to catch them and
you won’t be able to keep them alive,’ ” said
Elizabeth R. Dumont, an evolutionary biologist who
is Ms. Lin’s dissertation adviser.
you won’t be able to keep them alive,’ ” said
Elizabeth R. Dumont, an evolutionary biologist who
is Ms. Lin’s dissertation adviser.
Ms. Lin solved the first problem by camping out in mole
territory, on golf courses and farms, and marking their
tunnels with sticks that she would watch for hours until
movement indicated a mole on the move.
territory, on golf courses and farms, and marking their
tunnels with sticks that she would watch for hours until
movement indicated a mole on the move.
She would then run ahead and block the tunnel by
sticking a shovel in the ground, and go behind the mole and
use another shovel to dig the animal out.
sticking a shovel in the ground, and go behind the mole and
use another shovel to dig the animal out.
As for maintaining the creatures, their high metabolism
was the problem.
They need to eat their body weight in food every day
or they can die quickly.
was the problem.
They need to eat their body weight in food every day
or they can die quickly.
The diet that satisfied their energy needs, Dr. Dumont said,
included earthworms, mealworms, eggs and sunflower seeds.
It worked so well, she said, “we had to put a couple
of them on a diet.”
included earthworms, mealworms, eggs and sunflower seeds.
It worked so well, she said, “we had to put a couple
of them on a diet.”
Correction: January 28, 2014
An earlier version of this article misstated an affiliation
for one of the researchers. Angela M. Horner studied the
movement of Eastern moles in the lab of Thomas Roberts,
not Elizabeth Brainerd, at Brown University.
The article also misstated the name of a species of mole
that was studied.
They are hairy-tailed moles, not hairy moles.
for one of the researchers. Angela M. Horner studied the
movement of Eastern moles in the lab of Thomas Roberts,
not Elizabeth Brainerd, at Brown University.
The article also misstated the name of a species of mole
that was studied.
They are hairy-tailed moles, not hairy moles.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου