Molehills are familiar to everyone however few people have ever seen a dead mole and fewer still have touched or even seen a living mole.
Moleskins were once used to make coats for ladies and waistcoats or caps for young men but today mole fur is more likely to be used to make flies for fishing.
The Jacobite toast "The little gentleman in black velvet" originated from the death of King William the Third in 1702 after his horse stumbled over a molehill.
All moles caught in the UK are European Moles Talpa europaea with the name coming from the Old English mowdiwarp with molde meaning earth and werpen meaning to throw .
The dried front feet of a mole are still sometimes carried to ward off rheumatism. There is no scientific evidence to support this!
The mole spends most of its life underground, moving at aprox. 18 feet an hour when digging.
Usually, when a mole meets another animal, including another mole, it will fight to the death the only exception to this is the brief truce declared during the breeding season.
For many more fascinating insights into mole habits and biology please see the interesting and beautiful book The Mole by Kenneth Mellanby