King of the Hill
I once tried to trap a mole which was destroying my lawn. I'd read that i needed to bang a spade immediately in front of the newest hill, and immediately behind it, then dig like mad until I'd extracted the mole, whereupon I could gently lob it over the garden fence into the adjacent woodland.

Theory is brilliant, no?

Bang, in goes spade no.1. Bang in goes spade no.2. Let the digging commence.

Out comes two halves of a very recently deceased mole.

Oh dear.
( The Lone Groover has mal des nuts., Thu 22 Dec 2011, 18:22, 7 replies)

He never
saw it coming
(Rebooted Frazer Smoothly scrolling since, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 18:26, closed)

Had you lobbed the mole
the impact on landing would have killed it anyway. And had you gently carried it over and set it down, it would have been back in your yard before you were.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 22 Dec 2011, 18:29, closed)

I would imagine that you could kill one by spazzing it directly at the ground, but I'm less sure that a gentle lob would deal a mortal blow. Most rodent-sized creatures are presumed to have a non-fatal terminal velocity.

EDIT: I do not expect this is true of a capybara. And yes, I realise that moles are not rodents.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 19:36, closed)

They're actually quite frail.
Star-nosed moles, as I recall, can be killed by falling into a deep tire tread- a matter of only a couple of inches. They live underground where they generally don't get jostled around. By contrast, a mouse or a squirrel may fall while climbing, so they tend to be rather tough.

So yes, even a gentle underhand toss into a pile of leaves would likely be fatal. But so what? Kill the little fuckers! KILL THEM DEAD!
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 22 Dec 2011, 20:11, closed)

I've caught a mole in the past,
Imagine a toilet roll with fat legs, but constructed entirely from the hard muscle needed to burrow fast. I've a feeling your common or garden euro mole may be tougher than you realise. Can't comment on the lovely star nose though.
*Based entirely on zero scientific research*
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 22:02, closed)

There really is only one way to find out. As you've caught infinitely more moles than I have, I'm nominating you as the official QOTW Research Dept. in this matter.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 23:03, closed)

Caddyshack's deleted scenes
are rather grim.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 19:26, closed)