Yard moles are small, subterranean mammals that often create visible disturbances in lawns and gardens across North America. The most common species, such as the Eastern Mole, spend almost their entire lives underground, making visual identification of the animal itself a rare occurrence. Accurately identifying the cause of yard damage relies on recognizing the mole’s physical characteristics and the signs of its tunneling.
The Mole’s Unique Physical Features
The typical yard mole is built specifically for digging, displaying a stout, cylindrical body that ranges between five and eight inches in length. They are covered in dense, velvety fur that usually appears grayish-brown to silver-gray. This velvety fur can be brushed in any direction without resistance, allowing for fluid movement forward and backward in tight tunnels.
The most defining feature of the mole is its highly specialized forefeet, which are broad, paddle-shaped, and turned permanently outward. These front paws are substantially larger than the slender hind feet and are equipped with large, powerful claws, essentially functioning as shovels for excavating soil. Moles use these large forelimbs to “swim” through the earth, capable of digging new tunnels at a rate of up to 18 feet per hour in favorable conditions.
A mole’s head features a long, hairless, and pointed snout that extends nearly a half-inch beyond the mouth opening, serving as a primary sensory organ. This elongated nose helps them detect prey and navigate. Their eyes are extremely small, often hidden within the fur or covered by a layer of skin. They also lack external ear flaps; these are adaptations that protect them from dirt while burrowing.
Identifying Mounds and Tunnel Systems
Moles create two distinct types of tunnel systems, both of which result in recognizable surface damage. The most obvious sign is the molehill, which is the excavated dirt pushed up from deeper, permanent tunnels.
These molehills are distinctively conical or volcano-shaped mounds of soil, often reaching several inches high and sometimes up to two feet in diameter. Unlike other subterranean pests, the entry hole to the tunnel is usually located directly at the center of the mound and is often plugged or obscured by the loose dirt. These deeper tunnels are used for nesting, resting, and long-distance travel, typically located 10 to 40 centimeters beneath the surface.
The mole’s hunting activity results in another type of damage known as surface runs or ridges. These appear as raised lines or lumps in the turf, created as the mole tunnels just below the grass roots in search of earthworms and grubs. These shallow runs are usually temporary exploratory paths, only two to three centimeters deep, and they are what give the lawn a spongy or uneven feel underfoot.
How Moles Differ from Gophers and Voles
Accurate identification requires distinguishing mole activity from that of pocket gophers and voles, which often inhabit the same areas. The appearance of the soil mound is the clearest point of differentiation between moles and gophers. Moles create the circular, volcano-shaped hills with a central plug, whereas gophers produce flatter, horseshoe or fan-shaped mounds where the dirt plug is offset to one side of the pile.
The damage caused by voles is notably different because they are primarily herbivores, unlike the insectivorous mole. Voles, which look like small mice with short tails, do not create large soil mounds. Instead, their presence is characterized by narrow, visible runways or trenches worn into the grass above ground, or small, open burrow holes near plant bases.
The difference in diet is another factor that helps distinguish these pests, even if the animal is not seen. Moles tunnel specifically for invertebrate prey like earthworms and grubs. In contrast, gophers and voles feed on plant matter. Gophers eat roots and bulbs, and voles gnaw on stems and grass, meaning plant damage indicates the issue is likely not solely a mole problem.