True Facts About The Star Nosed Mole
True Facts About The Star Nosed Mole
The Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small mole found in moist, low areas in the northern parts of North America. It is the only member of the tribe having a touch organ with more than 25,000-minute sensory receptors, known as Eimer's organs, with which this mole feels its way around. With the help of its Eimer's organs, it may be perfectly poised to detect seismic wave vibrations.
The Star-nosed mole is a very distinctive mammal, with black fur, and wide forefeet tipped with talons that are designed for digging. The palms of their pinkish and black feet face outwards. Their tail is long and hairy. The snout for which they are named has on its tip 11 pairs of little pink tentacles, splayed out like a star. The nose is about 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter with its Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages. Because the Star-nosed mole is functionally blind, the snout was long suspected to be used to detect electrical activity in prey animals, though little, if any, empirical support has been found for this hypothesis. The nasal star and dentition of this species appear to be primarily adapted to exploit extremely small prey.
Star-nosed moles are diurnal animals and are active throughout the year. They prefer wet areas and they tunnel through swampy areas, digging systems of shallow tunnels underground, as well as deeper ones. Nests are built on a raised area that is drier. This species is semi-aquatic and sometimes their tunnels open directly into the water. They can swim well and will dive for several seconds, sometimes remaining underwater for over 30 seconds. During winter Star-nosed moles hunt more in water because the wet ground is likely to be frozen, and they will even swim under ice. If they come above ground searching for food it is usually at night. Little is known about how they communicate with each other. Young Star-nosed moles produce high-pitched noises and adults make wheezing sounds.