Why are a mole’s front paws shaped like spades?

A mole’s front paws are shaped like spades to facilitate its life as a fossorial (burrowing) mammal. These large, circular hands are equipped with broad, spadelike claws that are specifically adapted for digging through soil.12

The limbs of most mole species are rotated outward from the body, similar to oars on a boat, which allows the animal to use a fore-and-aft motion—resembling a human swimming the breaststroke—to construct tunnels. By bracing its body against the tunnel walls, the mole uses these powerful, spade-shaped forelimbs to shear soil from the tunnel face. In addition to their primary function in excavation, these specialized paws also serve as paddles for swimming in species that are amphibious.12