What S The Difference Between A Mole And A Vole

In addition to physical appearance there is a difference between mole and vole behavior and the damage they cause to yards.

What s the difference between a mole and a vole. Both moles and voles are garden pests that destroy many homewoners gardens and lawns. Difference between mole and vole. Voles v on the other hand are vegetarians and eat the roots and stems of plants. If your home or property has been experiencing issues with moles.

Voles are herbivores and they only eat plants. In terms of size moles are very similar also about five inches. They only live about six months but in this time each of the little vermin can do a lot of damage and leave dozens of offspring. Meadow voles the most common voles in pennsylvania are herbivores and eat a variety of grasses seeds and roots.

A vole myodes very much matches the usual image we have in our minds when we think of a mouse people untrained in identifying these creatures may initially think the same thing about moles such as the eastern mole scalopus aquaticus based on body size and the color of the fur. Moles m are meat eaters and their diet consists of insects grubs and earthworms. Voles have many litters a year up to 10 and young voles become able to reproduce within only a month. The first distinction between moles and voles is that moles are mammals.

Although mole and vole do sound informally similar they are different animals of two taxonomic orders. Voles are rodents and are about the same size as moles 4 to 6 inches in body length with relatively large black eyes small ears a blunt face and prominent orange front teeth for gnawing. To an untrained eye the difference between a vole vs. In contrast moles eat underground insect larvae worms and grubs.

One way to distinguish the difference is by the diet of each animal. Mole can be subtle and it can also be difficult to distinguish a vole vs. Moles belong to the family talpidae while voles are rodents and belong to the family cricetidae. Let s begin with how these two different mammals look.

Moles are carnivorous so they are hunting for insects grubs or worms. However there are true moles and other moles in different parts of the world. A shrew which is why any pest in the yard needs a professional assessment. Despite their differences both pests cause collateral damage to turf and ornamental plants alike.

There are many differences exhibited between moles and voles. Voles are herbivores that enjoy grasses seeds and roots. Learn more about mole and vole activity with our handy guide. However some owners find it hard to tell the difference between a mole and a vole.

First and foremost voles and moles do not share the same diet. If you ve found mounds in your yard you re probably wondering what is causing them and how to tell if moles or voles are in your yard. February 12 2012 posted by naveen. Another thing to keep in mind is that while voles are rodents moles are not.

Mole vs vole.