On raining and living in a hole...

[stripee]

All this rain, and the ground is sodden, I wonder about animals that live in holes in the ground. I know that burrows and setts are often built on slopes for drainage. And the first part of the hole usually goes down and then slopes upwards, but how wet do the inhabitants get in this sort of weather? Smaller animals like voles and mice must get wet if their holes are not far down in the ground.
Badgers are a long way underground, but when does their roof start leaking???

[Paul mabbott]

At the weekend near Hathersage, in a grazed meadow, were plenty of molehills on a slope and one of them had water gushing out of it like a spring - took some pictures but they're not very impressive.
Difficult to see in such circumstances how Moles could survive in the tunnels? Perhaps they have a chamber somewhere on the flat or under a stone?

Originally Posted by stripee

All this rain, and the ground is sodden, I wonder about animals that live in holes in the ground. I know that burrows and setts are often built on slopes for drainage. And the first part of the hole usually goes down and then slopes upwards, but how wet do the inhabitants get in this sort of weather? Smaller animals like voles and mice must get wet if their holes are not far down in the ground.
Badgers are a long way underground, but when does their roof start leaking???

[stripee]

There must be a point with flooding when animals just have to get up and leave. But when it is the drip drip...I suppose in this case they have to keep moving chambers.

[mh68]

I know at one Badger site up here there are several satellite setts which completely flood when the weathers like it has been this last week,and are totally abandoned. In fact,thinking about it, one of these is only used in summer,and only temporarily during very dry conditions,the rest of the time its dormant.I would think the smaller mammals cope better with flood conditions and relocate more easily than say, Badgers,although in Pauls example, i think a lot of Moles probably perish during flash floods when whole fields end up underwater virtually overnight.

Mark H

[Ukwildlifeo]

well Moles are great swimmers so i imagine they swim out and dig anew hole above the water line. Isnt it most common to see a Mole after a storm?

[Meta menardi]

I think Moles have SCUBA gear. We had fields near the River Severn that flooded for a good distance away from the river, but there were new molehills within hours of the floods going.

Sheep, on the other hand, appear to think that they should be living under the sea. Their ways of getting into silly places that will drown them show a talent beyond their unaided intelligence.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

well Moles are great swimmers so i imagine they swim out and dig anew hole above the water line. Isnt it most common to see a Mole after a storm?

I wasnt aware of the Mole`s good swimming abilities,theyre not a mammal I`ve studied much. I suppose due to the nature of their preferred soil etc they can dig themselves out of trouble double-quick too.
Meta menardi, youre spot in about sheep, theyre pretty dopey creatures

Mark H