Gopher vs. Mole vs. Vole — Complete Southern California Identification Guide

Homeowners frequently confuse gophers, moles, and voles — three different animals that all cause underground damage but require different control approaches. Correctly identifying which pest you have is the first step toward effective treatment. Here is how to tell them apart in Southern California.

The Key Difference: Mound Shape

The fastest way to distinguish gophers from moles is the shape of their soil mounds. Gopher mounds are fan-shaped or crescent-shaped — the soil is pushed out to one side of the tunnel entrance, creating an asymmetrical mound. Mole mounds are volcano-shaped — a symmetrical cone of soil pushed straight up from a vertical shaft in the center. The plug hole from which the soil was pushed may be visible in a fresh mole mound at the top center. If your mounds are fan-shaped, you have gophers. If they are volcano-shaped with a center plug, you have moles.

Pocket Gophers in Southern California

The Botta's pocket gopher is the species responsible for virtually all residential gopher damage in Southern California. These animals spend almost their entire lives underground, surfacing only rarely. They feed on plant roots, bulbs, and tubers, pulling vegetation down from below rather than grazing above ground. They are solitary and highly territorial — one gopher maintains a tunnel system that can cover 200+ linear feet. Signs of gopher activity include fan-shaped mounds, plants dying suddenly from root damage, and soft or collapsing spots in the lawn.

Moles in Southern California

The broadfoot mole and Townsend's mole are the mole species found in Southern California, though moles are less common than gophers in most areas. Moles are insectivores — they eat earthworms, grubs, and insects, not plant roots. However, their tunnel systems cause indirect plant damage by disturbing root systems and drying out soil. Mole tunnels often create visible raised ridges across lawns where shallow feeding tunnels run just below the surface. Moles also create the volcano-shaped mounds described above. Mole activity tends to be more common in well-amended, heavily irrigated soils with high earthworm populations.

Voles in Southern California

Voles — sometimes called meadow mice — are the least common of the three in typical Southern California residential settings but are found in some areas, particularly near water and in dense ground cover. Voles are small mouse-like animals that create shallow surface runways — visible trails of dead grass at ground level — rather than deep tunnel systems. They damage plants by gnawing on stems and roots at the soil surface rather than tunneling deeply. Vole runways look like grass has been mowed in narrow paths across the lawn. Voles do not create mounds.

Ground Squirrels — Often Confused With Gophers

California ground squirrels are sometimes confused with gophers by homeowners, but they are very different animals and easy to distinguish. Ground squirrels are frequently seen above ground during daylight hours — they are diurnal and active on the surface. Their burrow entrances are large round holes, typically 3-4 inches in diameter, with no mound of pushed soil. Gophers are almost never seen above ground and their mounds are the primary sign of activity. If you are seeing the animal itself during the day, it is almost certainly a ground squirrel, not a gopher.

Which One Do You Have?

In Southern California, the vast majority of residential burrowing rodent calls are gophers. If you are seeing fan-shaped mounds of loose soil appearing overnight, you have gophers. If you are seeing volcano-shaped mounds with a center plug, you have moles. If you are seeing surface runways of dead grass with no mounds, you likely have voles. If you are seeing animals above ground during the day with large round burrow entrances, you have ground squirrels. Rodent Guys provides control services for all four.

Related Articles

• How to Tell Gopher Damage from Mole Damage
• How to Tell if You Have One Gopher or Many
• Our Services — Gopher, Mole, and Ground Squirrel Control

Call 909-599-4711 — if you are not sure what you have, describe what you are seeing and we can help identify it before scheduling service.