A new method based on indirect evidences to infer activity pattern in moles. A test on the blind mole in Central Apennines.

The study of activity patterns in subterranean mammals has been poorly explored in subterranean insectivores. This is especially true for the rare and elusive blind mole Talpa caeca. A field work devoted to collect data on life history traits of the blind mole was run in a montane pasture in Southern Italy (1549 m a.s.l.). Plastic barrel-like traps were placed in actively used mole tunnels and checked regularly at 6 h intervals for two sessions of nine consecutive days, for a total 1500 trap-nights. No moles were captured alive, but signs of mole activity at trap sites (traps filled with ground) were regularly recorded. A video recorded inside a trap confirmed that moles fill the traps with soil as part of trap avoidance behavior. Activity at trap sites was analyzed as a binomial variable, considering the rate of filled traps vs. the number of armed traps at each 6 h trap-checking intervals. Activity showed a polyphasic pattern typical of moles, but differently from other species, activity was more concentrated in the central part of the day (12.00-18.00). Results suggest a specific adaptation to local environmental conditions and body size