The mole is a small insect-eating mammal. Moles have cylindrical bodies with slender, pointed snouts and short, bare, or sparsely-haired tails. Their limbs are short and spade-like. Their eyes are poorly developed, and their ears aren't visible.
In California, moles inhabit the Sierra Nevada, coastal range mountains, and the entire coastal zone. Moles live almost entirely underground in a vast network of interconnecting tunnels. They frequently create shallow tunnels just below the surface where they capture worms, insects, and other invertebrates. Moles can tunnel up to 18 feet an hour. They may infrequently consume roots, bulbs, and other plant material, although rodent species (e.g., pocket gophers, meadow voles, and deer mice) are almost always the cause of such chewing damage. By far the greatest damage from moles occurs through their burrowing activity, which dislodges plants and dries out their roots. In lawns, the resulting mounds and ridges are unsightly and disfiguring.