Star-nosed mole is a winter surprise

 Chubby guy was about eight inches in length

Put this under the "Things You Never Expect To Find" category. I discovered this large star-nosed mole on the shoulder of our road here in Nolalu today. He had not been run-over but rather seems to have died of hypothermia.
The temperature today is near 0 C (32 F) but just a few days ago it was -40 with the windchill. Not the kind of weather that makes moles scurry about.
Moles are fairly uncommon in the Boreal Forest. This is only the second one I have ever seen.
He certainly didn't die of starvation as he was one plump individual. He was eight inches, nose to tail.
Moles are insectivores and while they spend most of their time below ground star-nosed moles are known to also come to the surface in search of insects. In the winter they are said to stay below the frost line which I would suspect after the recent spate of cold temperatures and lack of snow depth is probably three feet down right now.
It looked to me like the mole simply got lost as he tried to cross the road. His tracks went back and forth from one side of the snow-packed gravel road to the other. He must have been dead for only a few hours when Cork and I came along since he wasn't frozen and no fox or raven had found him yet.