Eastern mole

Eastern moles live nearly their whole lives underground. They dig shallow feeding tunnels just under the surface — the ridges seen in lawns — and deeper permanent tunnels where they rest and nest. They can dig several metres of shallow tunnel in an hour in soft soil.

Their eyes are tiny and covered by skin, and they find food by touch and smell, patrolling their tunnels for earthworms and grubs that fall in. They are solitary, and one mole's tunnels can cover a large part of a garden.

Moles are natural soil engineers. Their tunnels loosen and aerate soil, let water and air reach roots, and mix organic matter into the ground.

They also eat beetle grubs, including those of Japanese beetles and other lawn pests, far more effectively than most treatments do.

Mating — late winter and early spring
Gestation — about four to six weeks
Birth — March to May, one litter a year of usually two to five young
Leaving the nest — at about four weeks old
Independence — soon after; young disperse over the surface in early summer
Lifespan — up to several years

• Moles do not eat plant roots or bulbs; voles using mole tunnels usually do.
• Poison baits and "mole peanuts" are grain-based and moles do not eat grain; they harm other animals instead.
• A healthy lawn with a mole is usually a lawn with a lot of earthworms.
• A mole found on the surface in daylight is often a youngster dispersing; it can be carried in a container to loose soil nearby.

• Moles eat garden plants. They eat worms and grubs; damage to roots and bulbs is almost always from voles.
• Moles are blind rodents. They are not rodents at all, and their eyes, though tiny, can tell light from dark.
• The eastern mole swims. Its scientific name, aquaticus, comes from a mistaken belief that its webbed feet meant it lived in water.

• Star-nosed mole
• Hairy-tailed mole
• Northern short-tailed shrew
• Woodland vole