Hairy-Tailed Mole Identification Guide
Parascalops breweri
The hairy-tailed mole is a small burrowing mammal found in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Named for its short, fur-covered tail, this mole digs tunnel systems in lawns and gardens that can cause damage across the Appalachian region.
Taxonomy
Hairy-Tailed Mole Coloration
Common color patterns to help identify hairy-tailed mole
Hairy-Tailed Mole
Seasonal Activity
When hairy-tailed mole are most active throughout the year
Where Hairy-Tailed Mole Are Found
Hover over states to see their names. Green regions indicate where hairy-tailed mole have been reported.
Hairy-Tailed Mole Identification Guide
Physical Characteristics
The hairy-tailed mole (Parascalops breweri) is a small, stout mammal built for life underground. Adults are about 5.5 to 6.7 inches long and weigh 1.4 to 2.3 ounces. The most obvious feature is the short, thick tail covered in dense bristly hairs. This furred tail is the main trait that sets it apart from the eastern mole, which has a nearly naked tail.
Like other moles, this species has broad, paddle-shaped front feet with strong claws made for digging. The eyes are tiny and hidden beneath fur. There are no visible outer ears. The fur is dense and velvety. It is usually dark gray to black on the back with slightly lighter underparts. This soft coat lies flat in any direction. That lets the mole move forward and backward through tight tunnels with ease.
The snout is long, pointed, and slightly pink at the tip. Small touch sensors called Eimer’s organs cover the nose and help the mole find prey in complete darkness.
How to Tell Hairy-Tailed Moles from Similar Animals
Several burrowing animals look like hairy-tailed moles:
- Eastern moles are the closest match. The main difference is the tail. Eastern moles have a short, nearly hairless tail. Hairy-tailed moles have a densely furred tail. Eastern moles also tend to have lighter gray-brown fur and live in a wider range further south and west.
- Star-nosed moles have 22 fleshy pink tentacles around their nose. Once you see one, there is no mistaking it. They prefer wetter areas near streams and marshes.
- Meadow voles are rodents that make surface runways through grass, not underground tunnels. They have visible eyes and ears, a mouse-like body, and they eat plants, not insects.
- Shrews are small insect-eaters with pointed snouts. They have visible eyes, small outer ears, and much smaller feet. Shrews usually hunt above ground instead of tunneling.
Hairy-Tailed Mole Behavior and Biology
Habitat and Distribution
Hairy-tailed moles live across the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their range goes from southern Quebec and Ontario through New England, then south along the Appalachian Mountains into parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Some field guides call them Brewer’s moles.
This species likes well-drained sandy or loamy soils. You can find them in forests, old fields, meadows, lawns, and along roadsides. They are often found at higher elevations in the Appalachians compared to eastern moles, which tend to live at lower elevations. Hairy-tailed moles avoid heavy clay soils and very wet ground where digging is hard.
Tunneling Behavior
Hairy-tailed moles build two types of tunnels. Shallow feeding tunnels run just 2 to 3 inches below the surface. These show up as raised ridges across lawns. Moles use them to hunt for earthworms and insects near the surface. They may only use a shallow tunnel once before leaving it. Deeper tunnels run 10 to 20 inches underground and connect nesting areas with feeding grounds. These deep tunnels get reused often.
Molehills are cone-shaped mounds of loose soil that the mole pushes up from deep tunnels. Pocket gopher mounds look different. They are fan-shaped with a plugged hole on one side. Molehills are round with no visible entrance.
Hairy-tailed moles sometimes come to the surface to forage at night, especially on warm, damp evenings. This is less common in eastern moles, which rarely leave their tunnels.
Diet
Hairy-tailed moles eat insects and other small creatures found in the soil:
- Earthworms make up a large part of their diet
- Beetle grubs and larvae, including white grubs, are a key food source
- Ants and ant larvae found while tunneling
- Slugs, snails, and other soil creatures
These moles burn energy fast. They eat close to their body weight in food every day. They cannot go more than a few hours without a meal. This constant hunger is what drives all that tunneling.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Breeding happens in late March through April. Males travel through the tunnels of nearby females during this short mating season. About four weeks later, females give birth to a litter of four to five babies in a nest chamber underground. The nest is lined with dried leaves and grass.
The young are born hairless and blind but grow fast:
- Fur shows up within about two weeks
- Young moles leave the nest at about four to five weeks old
- They reach full size by late summer
- They can breed within their first year
Hairy-tailed moles usually live three to five years in the wild. Owls, hawks, foxes, snakes, and house cats prey on them. However, their underground lifestyle keeps them hidden from most predators.
Signs of Hairy-Tailed Mole Activity
Look for these indicators that hairy-tailed moles are active on your property:
- Raised ridges running across the lawn surface, especially visible after rain
- Round molehills of pushed-up soil, typically 2 to 4 inches tall
- Soft or spongy patches in the lawn that sink when you step on them
- Dead grass in lines where tunneling has separated roots from soil
- Displaced plants or bulbs that have been pushed out of the ground by tunneling
Damage shows up most in spring and fall when the soil is moist and moles dig closer to the surface. In summer, they keep tunneling but may go a bit deeper. In winter, surface damage drops off because the moles move to deeper tunnels below the frost line.
Control Methods for Hairy-Tailed Moles
Managing hairy-tailed moles takes patience and usually more than one method. Here are the most effective strategies based on university extension research.
Trapping
Trapping is the most reliable way to reduce mole numbers. Scissor-jaw traps and harpoon traps work well when placed in active runways. The key is finding which tunnels are in use. Press down sections of a tunnel, then check back in 24 to 48 hours. If the tunnel is pushed back up, it is active and a good spot for a trap.
Exclusion
For high-value areas like garden beds, physical barriers can prevent mole access:
- Underground fencing made from 1/4-inch hardware cloth buried at least two feet deep with a six-inch outward-facing lip at the bottom
- Wire baskets around individual bulbs or root balls of prized plants
- Raised garden beds with mesh bottoms
Habitat Modification
Reducing what attracts moles to your lawn can help lower activity levels:
- Reduce excess watering to make soil less hospitable to earthworms near the surface
- Address grub problems if white grubs are abundant, since grubs are a major food draw
- Remove dense ground cover along lawn edges where moles often enter from adjacent wooded areas
What Does Not Work
Many common remedies do not hold up to testing:
- Ultrasonic or vibrating stakes have not been shown to work in studies
- Flooding tunnels with water rarely reaches the moles and can hurt your lawn
- Home remedies like mothballs, broken glass, or chewing gum in tunnels do not work and may be harmful
- Mouse or rat poisons fail because moles eat live insects, not grain-based baits
Other Mole Species and Related Pests
If you are trying to identify burrowing animals in your yard, these guides can help:
- Eastern Moles: The most common mole species east of the Rockies, with a nearly hairless tail
- Star-Nosed Moles: A unique mole found in wet areas with 22 fleshy tentacles around the nose
- Meadow Voles: Often confused with moles, but voles are rodents that eat plants and create surface runways
- Grubs: White grubs in the soil attract moles to your lawn, and managing grubs may reduce mole activity
References
Other Moles
Explore other species in the moles family
Commonly Confused With
Hairy-Tailed Mole are often mistaken for these similar pests
Where Hairy-Tailed Mole Are Found
Hover over states to see their names. Green regions indicate where hairy-tailed mole have been reported.
Common Questions about Hairy-Tailed Mole
How can I tell a hairy-tailed mole from an eastern mole?
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The easiest way to tell them apart is the tail. A hairy-tailed mole has a short, thick tail covered in dense fur. An eastern mole has a nearly hairless tail. Hairy-tailed moles also tend to be slightly smaller and darker, with black or dark gray fur compared to the eastern mole's lighter gray-brown coat.
Do hairy-tailed moles damage gardens and lawns?
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Hairy-tailed moles do not eat plant roots or bulbs directly. They feed on earthworms, grubs, and insects in the soil. However, their tunneling can displace roots, heave plants out of the ground, and create unsightly raised ridges and molehills across lawns. The cosmetic damage to turf is often the main concern for homeowners.
Are hairy-tailed moles active in winter?
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Yes, hairy-tailed moles remain active year-round and do not hibernate. In winter they dig deeper tunnels below the frost line where the soil stays warmer and prey is still available. You may notice less surface damage in cold months, but the moles are still tunneling underground.
What do hairy-tailed moles eat?
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Hairy-tailed moles eat primarily earthworms, beetle grubs, ants, insect larvae, and other soil invertebrates. They have a very high metabolism and must eat frequently, consuming close to their body weight in food each day. They do not eat seeds, roots, or other plant material.
How many hairy-tailed moles are in my yard?
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Most yards only have one to three moles, even when tunnel damage seems extensive. Hairy-tailed moles are solitary animals that defend their tunnel systems from other moles. A single mole can create many feet of new tunnels each day, which is why the damage often looks worse than the actual number of moles would suggest.
Where do hairy-tailed moles live?
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Hairy-tailed moles are found in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their range extends from New England south through the Appalachian Mountains into parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. They prefer well-drained sandy or loamy soils in woodlands, meadows, lawns, and gardens.
With five years of hands-on experience in the pest control industry, George Schulz is a registered technician with the Virginia Pest Management Association and a proud third-generation professional in a family business that's been protecting homes for over 57 years. He manages and trains a team of service pros while also leading internal research efforts—recently spearheading a deep-dive review of thousands of documents on pest control materials to hand-pick the most kid and pet friendly, most effective solutions tailored specifically for homes in the DC metro area.