3 of 7

Write now Article Tools

If you ever saw a Star-nosed mole in the wild, you may think the creature had jumped right out of a science fiction novel, but the Condylura cristata is actually native to eastern North America. It can usually be found near streams, lakes and ponds where it feeds primarily on invertebrates.

In many ways the star-nosed mole is just another ordinary North American mole; the star-nosed mole is about 6-8 inches in length with a stout, round body, broad feet and large claws. However, the star-nosed mole differs from other North American moles in a variety of ways, perhaps the most notable being its' twenty-two nasal tentacles (its' star').

The tentacles are bilaterally symmetrical, with eleven appendages per side. Each appendage varies in length between 1 and 4 mm, and is covered with tiny papillae known as Eimer's organs. Each Eimer's organ contains three types of tactile receptors. Two of those receptors are found in the skin of many other mammals, but the third is unique to the star-nosed mole.

Being virtually blind, the star-nosed mole is thought to use its' nasal tentacles to identify objects by their microscopic texture. The tentacles can touch as many as twelve objects per second, and a vast section of the star-nosed mole's brain is devoted to processing the information it receives from its' tactile receptors (which has actually led to research in brain mapping). It has been proposed that the nasal tentacles may be used to detect faint electrical signals from the star-nosed mole's aquatic prey. Though there is no conclusive evidence, laboratory tests have shown that they seem to be drawn to batteries placed underwater. If the star-nosed mole can detect electrical signals then they would be the only mammal, other than the platypus, known to possess this ability.

Besides its' unusual tentacles, the star-nosed mole has been given the title of fastest-eating mammal. It takes this species only 150 milliseconds to identify and consume food items. This is in part because they use their neurons to the max (deciding in just 8 milliseconds whether a prey is consumable or not), but also because their incisors are very small and formed like tweezers allowing them to grasp small prey very precisely.

As if that wasn't enough to make the star-nosed mole perhaps the strangest of all, there is some evidence that the star-nosed mole can actually smell underwater. Kenneth Catania, of the School of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, observed the moles unusual habit of

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about The world's strangest creatures?
We want to hear your view. Write now!