Mole vs Vole for Kids
Moles and voles are small mammals that may live in the same field or garden, but they are not close versions of the same animal. A true mole is an underground predator with enormous digging paws and a taste for earthworms and other invertebrates. A vole is a short-tailed rodent with gnawing incisors that mainly eats grasses and other plants. This page uses the European mole and field vole as clear visual representatives while noting that both common names cover multiple species.
Mole
- Type: Mammal
- Group: True Mole
- Known for: Powerful shovel-shaped forefeet, velvety fur, underground tunnels, molehills, tiny eyes, and earthworm hunting
- Diet: Carnivore
- Special skill: Digging extensive tunnels, sensing vibrations and scents underground, and moving through soil with fur that bends in either direction
Vole
- Type: Mammal
- Group: Rodent
- Known for: Stocky mouse-like body, blunt face, short tail, grassy runways, fast reproduction, and plant eating
- Diet: Herbivore
- Special skill: Clipping grasses with continuously growing incisors, hiding in dense vegetation, and building surface runways and nests
Quick Answer
Quick answer: A mole has a pointed snout, tiny hidden ears, velvety fur, and broad outward-facing front paws for digging deep tunnels. A vole looks more like a chunky, short-tailed mouse and uses continuously growing front teeth to eat plants. Molehills usually come from moles; narrow paths through grass are more typical of voles.
Mole vs Vole: Quick Comparison
| Feature | European Mole | Field Vole |
|---|---|---|
| Animal type | Mammal | Mammal |
| Scientific name | Talpa europaea | Microtus agrestis |
| Animal group | True mole in family Talpidae | Rodent in family Cricetidae |
| Body shape | Cylindrical body with pointed snout and almost no visible neck | Stocky mouse-like body with blunt snout |
| Front feet | Broad, powerful, and turned outward like shovels | Small walking feet with claws |
| Tail | Short but clearly visible and sensitive | Shorter than a mouse tail and covered with hair |
| Main habitat | Underground tunnel systems in diggable soil | Dense grass, tussocks, fields, and surface runways |
| Diet | Earthworms and other soil invertebrates | Mostly grasses, stems, roots, and other plants |
| Teeth | Sharp teeth for catching animal prey | Large front incisors that grow continuously |
| Baby name | Pup | Pup |
| Special ability | Excavating and navigating dark tunnels | Making hidden pathways beneath thick vegetation |
How Are Moles and Voles Alike?
- Both moles and voles are small mammals with fur and pups.
- Both can live in fields, meadows, woodland edges, farms, and gardens.
- Both use sheltered spaces to hide from predators and bad weather.
- Both have strong senses of smell and touch that help them find food.
- Both are important prey for owls, foxes, snakes, and other predators.
How Are Moles and Voles Different?
- Moles belong to Talpidae within the order Eulipotyphla, while voles are rodents in Cricetidae.
- Moles have wide digging paws and tiny hidden ears, while voles have ordinary walking feet and small visible ears.
- Moles mainly eat earthworms and other invertebrates, while voles mainly eat plants.
- Moles create underground tunnels and soil mounds, while voles commonly make narrow surface runways through vegetation.
- Voles have continuously growing gnawing incisors, while moles have pointed teeth for animal prey.
Mole vs Vole Showdown
Small mammal showdown: The European mole wins size and digging strength over the field vole, plus stealth because it spends most of its life below ground. Speed, social behavior, and swimming are ties because species differ and those traits are difficult to compare fairly across tunnel and surface habitats. The mole also takes the weirdest-fact prize for fur that can bend in either direction, allowing it to reverse through tight tunnels without ruffling its coat.
Fun Mole vs Vole Facts
Shovel Paws vs Walking Feet
A mole’s muscular front limbs end in broad hands that face outward and push soil aside like paddles. A vole has much smaller, forward-facing feet suited to walking, running, and scratching among grass rather than excavating long deep tunnels.
An Invertebrate Hunter vs a Plant Eater
European moles mainly hunt earthworms and other animals in the soil. Field voles mainly clip grasses, herbs, roots, and bark with rodent incisors that keep growing throughout life.
Molehills vs Grass Runways
A mole pushes excavated soil toward the surface, forming recognizable molehills above parts of its tunnel system. A vole commonly travels along narrow pathways hidden at the base of grass and may nest inside dense tussocks or shallow burrows.
Mole Fur Works Backward and Forward
The European mole’s short velvety fur does not lie firmly in one direction. It can bend forward or backward, reducing friction as the animal moves either way through a tunnel barely wider than its body.
A Vole Is Not a Mouse
Voles and mice are both rodents, but voles usually have chunkier bodies, blunter faces, smaller ears, and much shorter, hairier tails. The field vole’s tail is commonly less than half the length of its head and body.
Mole vs Vole Quiz
- Which animal has broad shovel-shaped front paws? Answer: The mole.
- Which animal is a rodent? Answer: The vole.
- Which animal mainly eats earthworms and other invertebrates? Answer: The mole.
- What kind of track does a vole often make through grass? Answer: A narrow surface runway.
- What are baby moles and voles commonly called? Answer: Pups.
Mole vs Vole FAQ
What is the easiest way to tell a mole from a vole?
Look at the front feet and face. A mole has huge outward-facing digging paws, tiny eyes, and no obvious external ears. A vole has normal-sized feet, a blunt rodent face, small visible ears, and gnawing incisors.
Are moles and voles related?
They are both mammals, but they belong to different orders. Moles are eulipotyphlans related to shrews and hedgehogs, while voles are rodents related to hamsters, lemmings, and mice.
Do moles eat plant roots?
True moles mainly eat earthworms and other soil animals rather than roots. Their tunneling can disturb plants, and rodents may also use mole tunnels, which sometimes causes confusion.
Do voles make molehills?
Voles may dig shallow burrows, but large piles of freshly pushed soil are much more characteristic of moles. Voles are better known for paths clipped through grass.
Can moles see?
Yes. Their tiny eyes can detect light, although vision is less important underground than touch, smell, and sensitivity to movement.
Animal Words to Know
- Talpidae: The mammal family containing true moles, desmans, and shrew moles.
- Rodent: A mammal with one pair of continuously growing incisors in each jaw.
- Invertebrate: An animal without a backbone, such as an earthworm or insect larva.
- Runway: A regularly used narrow path through vegetation or beneath cover.
- Fossorial: Adapted mainly for digging and living underground.
Mole and Vole Habitat Detective Activity
Mole and Vole Habitat Detective Activity
Draw a side view of a meadow above and below the soil. Add a European mole underground with broad outward-facing paws, tiny eyes, velvet fur, tunnels, and a molehill. Add a field vole above ground with a blunt face, small ears, short hairy tail, grass nest, and hidden runway. Label fossorial, rodent, earthworm, incisor, molehill, tunnel, tussock, and runway.
Meet Each Animal
Want the full fact file? Here are quick highlights from each animal’s own facts page.
Mole Fact Highlight
From the full animal facts pageVole Fact Highlight
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