One of the moles aerating the ground around here ran out of steam beside the garden:
It has wonderfully soft velvety fur!
Flipping it over:
A closeup of its digging paws and gnawing teeth:
Those choppers seem overqualified for a diet of earthworms, but I suppose they know what they’re doing.
We left it in as-found condition, ready for recycling …
[Update: The consensus seems to be it’s a vole or shrew, not a mole. It’d be the biggest vole I’ve ever seen and “large shrew” seems oxymoronic, but the teeth are diagnostic. ]
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
Interesting Ed, is that what you call them in your area? In Ohio, for those who know and observe nature, these are called voles. These live in fields and other grassy areas in runways in old grass/thatch. The primary difference being the front legs are not used for digging like actual moles. In any case, the owls and hawks don’t care what we call them! I like to keep my
fields mowed so that they are not too high making them easier picking for our raptors.
“Raptor Fun Facts: Ultraviolet Sensors”
https://hawkwatch.org/blog/item/1103-raptor-fun-facts-ultraviolet-sensors
It’s neither an “eastern mole” (wrong paws) nor a “star nosed mole” (wrong snout), but seemed much bigger than the usual voles we’ve seen, which AFAICT were mouse-sized critters.
I’m no expert and the subject did not respond to questioning …
I don’t know what it was, but with teeth like that it was a rodent for sure. Moles have small teeth for dealing with worms and insects
Let’s be careful out there…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantavirus_pulmonary_syndrome
Not the top worry of the day, to be sure … [sigh]