How to Tell the Difference Between a Vole and a Mole

Voles and moles might seem similar at first glance, but there are noticeable differences in how they look and damage your lawn

Co-authored by Elmer Bensinger and Devin McSween

Last Updated: September 27, 2024 References

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It’s small, furry, and somehow causing a lot of damage in your yard. The culprit could be a vole or a mole, but how can you tell the difference? Luckily, there are key physical and behavioral differences between these animals that makes it easy to tell them apart. In this article, we’ll tell you how to determine whether a mole or vole has taken up residence in your yard. It’s important to tell the difference between these 2 animals so you can properly remove them from your lawn, which we’ll go over too.

Things You Should Know

Voles are smaller with a mouse-like look while moles have a distinct, elongated snout and large hands.
Voles create maze-like runways, mostly across the surface of your lawn, while moles dig tunnels and create volcano-like mounds.
Voles are herbivores that chew through your garden and roots, killing your plants. Moles’ tunnels simply disturb your lawn and landscaping.

1

Physical characteristics

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Voles are mouse-like, while moles have pointed snouts and large hands. Voles have a mousy look, with small, beady eyes and tiny ears. On the other hand, moles have an elongated nose and are well known for their large, claw-like hands that they use for digging. You also can’t see their eyes or ears.^{[1]
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- Voles also have a longer, thinner tail than moles.
- Voles are rodents unlike moles, so it’s no wonder that they look similar to mice!
- Shrews are sometimes mistaken for voles and moles. They can be thought of as a mix between the 2: they look mousy, have a long snout, and have visible, small eyes.^{[2]
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2

Size

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Typically, voles are smaller than moles. Voles usually grow to about 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) long.^{[3]
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Go to source} Moles aren’t much larger, ranging from 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm) long.
- While voles look very similar to mice, they are usually bigger and stockier.
- Shrews are smaller than both voles and moles. They are typically 3 to 4 inches (7-10 cm) long.^{[4]
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3

Coloring

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It might be hard to distinguish as they’re darting across your yard, but voles are usually lighter in color than moles. Unlike moles, they’re not uniform in color and have a light gray belly. ^{[5]
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Research source} While their hair is more wiry, moles have a dark, velvety fur that's usually black or gray.

4

Diet

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Voles only eat plants, while moles munch on bugs and insects. If your shrubs and plants are badly damaged with little bite marks, you’re probably dealing with a vole. Voles are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. On the other hand, moles are actually carnivores. They like to snack on worms and beetles as they tunnel through your yard.^{[6]
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- Voles also like to eat the roots and bark off your plants and trees. This can kill your plants, which is another sign you're dealing with voles rather than moles.
- An easy way to remember the difference between voles and moles is in the first letter of their names. Voles are vegetarians and moles are meat-eaters.

5

Tunneling

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After the frost and snow melt in the winter, it’s common to find a vole’s runways criss-crossing through your yard. Voles usually run across or right below the surface of your yard, chewing on your grass and plants as they go. However, moles create deep, intricate tunnels under your lawn. As they dig, dirt is flung up to the surface, creating distinct mound shapes throughout your yard.^{[7]
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6

Entry points

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You’ll know that you’re dealing with a vole because you’ll see tiny holes around their tracts, around tree trunks, or in your garden beds. Instead of holes, moles leave behind volcano-looking mounds of dirt when they enter and exit their tunnels.^{[8]
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7

Yard damage

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Voles eat and kill your plants, while a mole’s damage is more cosmetic. Though both vole and mole runways and tunnels are unsightly in your yard, voles might cause more real damage. Because they’re herbivores, they eat through your grass, plant roots, and trees. It’s not uncommon to step into your yard and see a plant fallen over and badly chewed up that was perfectly healthy a few days before.^{[9]
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- A mole’s tunnel can uproot your plants. You can stomp on the tunnel to discourage the mole from tunneling around your plants, or move your plants to a safer area.
- To keep voles out of your garden, create a barrier with cinder blocks, gravel, or wire fencing. Because voles stay low to the ground, they’ll be unlikely to climb over the barrier.^{[10]
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8

Control methods

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Voles and moles require different types of traps to catch them. To capture voles, set humane traps or snap traps by their holes. Then, lure them into the trap with some peanut butter or an apple slice.^{[11]
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Go to source} Catch moles with a scissor, harpoon, or choker-loop trap. For harpoon traps, set the trap directly over a tunnel. When using scissor or choker-loop traps, dig around the tunnel to create a hole. Then, place the trap over the tunnel.^{[12]
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- Voles don’t like to be in open areas, so cover the top and sides of the trap with a piece of cardboard.
- See if the mole’s tunnels are active before setting a trap. Stomp on sections of each tunnel that you see. If the tunnel is active, the mole will repair the damage within 12 to 24 hours. Or, they might build a brand new one.
- For more humane ways to get rid of voles, clear your yard of debris, mounds of mulch, and keep your lawn mowed short. Moles might be kept away if you treat your lawn for insects, which removes their food source.