Eastern Mole
Scalopus aquaticus · Mammal, Vertebrate, Warm-blooded, Wild
Animal Family
Talpidae, order Soricomorpha (or Eulipotyphla), class Mammalia
Animal Category
Wild Prey
Breed / Variety
Eastern Mole subspecies (e.g., Scalopus aquaticus machrinus)
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with a stable population trend. They are widespread and adaptable, often considered an agricultural or garden pest due to their tunneling activity.
About This Creature
Cylindrical, torpedo-shaped body around 4 to 7 inches long, weighing roughly 1.5 to 5 ounces. Covered in dense, velvety gray-brown fur that can lie in either direction to facilitate backward and forward movement in tight tunnels. Features spade-like front paws permanently turned outward.
Physical Characteristics
Highly specialized for underground life with massive, paddle-like forelimbs equipped with long claws for digging. Tiny eyes and ears are hidden beneath fur as they are virtually useless underground. Features a sensitive, hairless snout used to detect prey through touch and smell.
Behavior & Temperament
Solitary and highly territorial, spending nearly its entire life underground in complex tunnel systems. Active day and night (cathemeral), rarely coming to the surface. Communicates through high-pitched squeaks and scent marking. Digs deep tunnels for nesting and wintering, and shallow surface runways for feeding.
Habitat & Diet
Origin Region
Native to North America, ranging from southern Canada through the eastern and central United States down to Mexico.
Habitat
Found in lawns, gardens, fields, and deciduous forests with moist, loose, well-drained soils; strictly fossorial (burrowing).
Diet & Nutrition
Insectivore; diet consists primarily of earthworms, grubs, beetles, and other subterranean invertebrates. Uses an acute sense of touch and smell in its snout to locate prey, and can consume nearly its own body weight in food daily.
Lifespan & Health
Lifespan in the wild is typically 2 to 3 years. Common mortality factors include predation by owls, snakes, and domestic pets, as well as human pest control measures. Females produce a single litter of 2 to 5 pups per year in the spring.
Special Characteristics
Possesses a specialized protein called hemerythrin in its blood with very high oxygen-binding capacity, allowing it to tolerate high levels of carbon dioxide and low oxygen in underground tunnels. Excellent diggers capable of tunneling at speeds up to 15 feet per hour.
Ecological Information
Acts as an important aerator and mixer of soil through extensive burrowing activities, helping with nutrient cycling and water infiltration. However, their tunneling can disrupt plant roots and damage turfgrass, lawns, and agricultural fields.