White European mole
Who is Charles Darwin?
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was a British naturalist, geologist and biologist. He travelled all over the world to study animals, plants and rocks. That is how he developed his hypothesis about the origin of species.
What can we learn from this black mole and this white mole?
Both this white mole and this black mole belong to the same species. According to Darwin’s theory, they exhibit ‘intraspecific variation’, or variations within one and the same species. Individual moles are different from one another because of various small characteristics, including the colour of their pelt. At first sight, these characteristics do not offer significant benefits. On the contrary: a white mole stands out and will fall prey to predators much more easily compared to its black counterpart. However, in case of heavy snowfall, a white pelt can be advantageous. That advantage will eventually provide this variation with greater evolutionary opportunities and perpetuate them.
What kind of mole is this?
This is a rare European mole with white fur. Fortunately, it lives underground. After all, above ground, the white mole would only be granted a short life.
