Talpa europaea
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English: Common mole
German: Maulwurf
French: Taupe
Spanish: Topo
Distribution areas
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The common mole is found throughout
Europe and in large areas of Asia. In the
Eastern Siberia, a similar variety, Talpa
micrura, is found and third known species
is Talpa caeca.
Description of the fur The surface structure
---------------------- of the skin, 2000x
Mole skins are from 12 to 16 cm long.
The fur coat is grey-black, or sometimes brown-black, in colour. The
thickness of the coat is only 6 to 10 mm. The undercoat is dense and
regularly waved. The most dense coat is found in the spring skins.
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Talpa europaea
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English: Common mole
German: Maulwurf
French: Taupe
Spanish: Topo
Structure of the hair
---------------------
The skin surface has a furrowed micros-
copic structure with narrow hair follicles
with straight edges. The average follicle
contains only one hair shaft.
The fine fur fibres are circular in
cross-section, with a diameter of 8 to 15 Transverse section
µm. The cuticle is covered by non-regular of a fine fur fibre, 1000x
petal-like scales. The scale surface is
smooth and the scale margins are straight. The medulla is wide, unbroken and
central symmetrical-shaped in cross-section. The overall structure belongs to
the fractured uniserial ladder type of medulla with a granular infilling
substance.
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Talpa europaea
--------------
English: Common mole
German: Maulwurf
French: Taupe
Spanish: Topo
The intermediate fibres which are scarce,
are 15 to 25 µm in diameter. Their cross
-sectional outline is ether circular or
ellipsoidal and the cuticular scales are
even tile-like in shape. The scale surface
is smooth and the scale margins are
straight. The medullar column is wide,
unbroken and central symmetrical-shaped in
cross-section. The overall structure is of Longitudinal section
the loose, uniserial ladder type and the of a fine fur fibre, 1500x
infilling medullar substance is amorphous.
The guard hairs are from 30 to 45 µm in diameter and have a circular or
ellipsoidal cross-sectional outline. The cuticular scales are crenated
tile-like in shape, with a smooth surface and rippled scale margins. The
medullar column is wide, unbroken and central symmetrical-shaped in
cross-section. The overall medullar structure belongs to the loose, uniserial
ladder type, with an amorphous infilling material.
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Talpa europaea
--------------
English: Common mole
German: Maulwurf
French: Taupe
Spanish: Topo
The cuticular structure
of a guard hair, 2000x
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Talpa europaea
--------------
English: Common mole
German: Maulwurf
French: Taupe
Spanish: Topo
The surface structure
of the skin, 200x
Numerical code for mole skin structure
--------------------------------------
Surface of the skin: 3-4-1
Fine fur fibres: 1-13-1-1-2-1-1-3-6-8.15-3.11
Intermediate fibres: 2.1-2-1-1-2-1-1-2-8-15.25-6.12
Guard hairs: 2.1-4-1-2-2-1-1-2-8-30.45-6.14
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