Maker of the molehill

Shown here is a common North American mole called the eastern mole. It's natural range covers most of the eastern half of the United States. The eastern mole subsists mostly on earthworms.

The mole will make a tunnel called a "run" just below ground level, often slightly pushing up the top of the soil, making the run obvious. Earthworms will unwittingly crawl into the mole run, where the mole will easily catch and eat them. A mole may keep its run open for many days going back and forth as long as the run keeps producing earthworms and grubs for it to eat.

A molehill is the deposit of excess dirt from tunnel-digging that is pushed up and out of the way. Although this mole's strange snout and broad front feet make it look a bit dangerous, it poses no physical threat to humans. Foxes and coyotes are natural predators of the eastern mole.

I found this mole dead inches from its run, where, I presume, a fox had caught it with very minimal digging. I once watched a red fox stand motionless at a mole run for several minutes before suddenly digging very quickly, jabbing its nose into the ground and lifting out a big mole. The mole here showed no blood but did have a puncture at the back of its head, most assuredly delivered by a fox's tooth. Quite possibly I had frightened the fox away from its catch as I entered the area. I placed the mole on a nearby rock to photograph it.