The Eastern Mole is the most familiar mole in North America, responsible for the distinctive raised ridges of surface tunnels that crisscross suburban lawns and gardens. Its broad, paddle-like forefeet face outward—a unique limb orientation among mammals—and can excavate 18 feet of new tunnel per hour. Moles store immobilized earthworms in underground larders as a living food cache for winter.
Habitat
Moist soils of lawns, fields, gardens, and forest margins
Diet
Earthworms, beetle grubs, and other soil invertebrates
How common
Common
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