Maine’s hairy-tailed mole shows up in occurrence records more often than many of the state’s other small mammals, with 75 documented sightings, though that count still reflects how often someone notices fresh mole tunnels underfoot rather than a real count of what’s living below ground.
A mole that needs dry ground
Unlike Maine’s wetland-loving star-nosed mole, this species keys in on well-drained, sandy or loamy soil under hardwood and mixed forest, pushing shallow ridged tunnels just under the surface and digging deeper permanent burrows for nesting. The hardwood slopes rising through the Western Maine Mountains toward White Mountain National Forest offer exactly that kind of well-drained ground.
Underground engineer
This mole feeds on earthworms and insect larvae it finds while pushing those shallow tunnels, work that leaves telltale ridges across lawns and fields. Records rise through early summer and peak from June through August, when soil stays moist enough near the surface for both mole and earthworm to stay active, and when the ridged tunnels this mole leaves behind are easiest for anyone to spot.
Status in Maine
NatureServe ranks the hairy-tailed mole S5, secure, and it’s native to Maine, holding on well across the well-drained hardwood ground the state’s mountain foothills provide.
