Moles spend almost their entire lives underground—small weak eyes, velvety[1] fur, and small hips for turning around in tight places. Moles also have broad front feet, the toes of which terminate in stout claws faced outward for digging. A mole can dig its way through an amazing 14 meters of soil in just one hour!

Moles measure around 14 centimeters in length and have a three-centimeter tail. The moles tail is carried erect and the hairs on the tip give the mole information about its surroundings by brushing against the tunnel roof. Moles sleep, feed and breed in their tunnels. Moles occasionally appear above ground at the top of one of their characteristic molehills[2], and even then usually only the head and pink fleshy snout is revealed.

Moles are carnivores feeding almost exclusively small invertebrate animals living underground such as earthworms and the larvae of beetles and flies.[3] A mole may also occasionally catch small mice at the entrance to its burrow. Because their saliva contains a toxin that can paralyze earthworms, moles are able to store their still living prey for later consumption. They construct special underground “larders” for just this purpose. Researchers have discovered such larders with over a thousand earthworms in them.

A mole’s preferred habitats are wooded hilly districts. Moles have a well-developed sense of orientation retaining a mental plan of their complex layout of underground tunnels. Moles burrow in lawns, raising molehills and killing the lawn, for which they are sometimes considered pests. They can undermine plant roots, indirectly causing damage or death. Though moles are the bane[4] of many lawn owners, they make a significant positive contribution to the health of the landscape. Their extensive tunneling and mound building mixes soil nutrients and improves soil aeration[5] and drainage. Moles also eat many lawn and garden pests.