The frequent confusion between voles and moles is understandable, as both are small, burrowing mammals. Despite the similar-sounding names and a shared habit of living beneath the soil surface, these creatures are fundamentally different animals. Knowing the distinctions between them is essential for identifying the culprit in your yard and implementing effective management. Their differences span biological classification, physical adaptations, diet, and the specific patterns of damage they leave behind.
Fundamental Biological Differences
Voles and moles belong to entirely separate biological orders. Voles are classified in the order Rodentia, making them true rodents alongside mice, rats, and squirrels. They are primarily herbivores, consuming plant material such as grasses, seeds, roots, and bulbs.
Moles, in contrast, belong to the order Eulipotyphla, an ancient group of insectivores that also includes shrews and hedgehogs. This classification means moles are not rodents; they are carnivores that consume a diet of live prey found in the soil. Their food source is mainly earthworms, grubs, and other subterranean invertebrates, which they hunt actively within their tunnel systems. A mole’s survival depends on consuming a large volume of this prey, sometimes eating 60 to 100% of its body weight daily.
Key Physical Distinctions
The animals reveal significant physical differences. Voles possess a body type that closely resembles a field mouse, with a compact body typically measuring between 5 and 8 inches long. They have readily visible features, including a short tail, prominent eyes, and small but obvious ears that are not hidden by fur.
Moles are built like cylindrical, velvety torpedoes, designed entirely for life underground. They measure between 4 and 7 inches long and are easily identified by their massive, paddle-like front feet. These forefeet are equipped with long, stout claws and are rotated sideways to efficiently push soil aside during digging. Their eyes and ears are extremely small and often completely concealed beneath their dense, velvety fur, which allows them to move both forward and backward in their tunnels.
Habitat and Damage Clues
Their tunneling and feeding habits are markedly different, providing practical evidence to determine which animal is present. Mole activity is characterized by the presence of raised ridges or “runways” in the lawn, which are shallow tunnels just beneath the turf surface. They also create distinct, volcano-shaped mounds of freshly excavated soil. The damage moles inflict is primarily indirect, as their tunneling disrupts the roots of plants while searching for insect prey.
Voles do not create volcano-shaped mounds, but instead leave behind clearly defined, clipped paths called “surface runways” that are about one to two inches wide. These runways are often visible in the grass or under mulch and connect small, golf ball-sized burrow entry holes. The most serious damage from voles is direct feeding: they gnaw on the bark of trees and shrubs, a process called girdling, and consume plant roots, seeds, and flower bulbs. If plants are suddenly wilted or easily pulled out of the ground with the roots gnawed off, a vole is the likely culprit.