It is adapted for underground life; the body is cylindrical, the fore-feet are spade-like, the nails are flattened and the eyes are small.

[2] The short, dense, dorsal pelage is brownish-grey with a metallic sheen and the underparts are silvery-yellow, with a grey patch on the chest.

[4] The Ussuri mole occurs in northeastern China, the Korean peninsula and southeastern Russia.

Its typical habitat is montane forest and woodland, pasture and agricultural land but it is seldom found on steep rocky slopes.

Main passages may have a total length of 450 m (1,500 ft) and be at least 30 cm (12 in) below the surface; they connect feeding areas with drinking places and the nest.