The bizarre animal, found in eastern North America, has a strange body part that helps make it one of the fastest foragers in the animal kingdom.
The star-nosed mole has one of the"weirdest" snouts in the animal kingdom. Now researchers are uncovering fascinating new insights into this unusual body part.
Tattersall and Campbell have been studying this unusual creature and published a study this month on the topic in theThe nose is superficially reminiscent of a hand featuring fleshy and mobile finger-like appendages called"nasal rays." But, unlike an elephant's trunk, they are not used for grasping prey, the researchers said.
These touch receptors—known as Eimer's organs—are found only in moles but are particularly common in this species. In the case of the star-nosed mole, the organs have more than 100,000 touch-sensitive nerve endings. Cover of an issue of the"Journal of Experimental Biology," displaying a thermal image of a star-nosed mole. A study published in the journal has investigated the mole's unusual nose.
The species is also unusual among moles in that it is found far more to the north than other species. In addition, it is only one of three mole species that is semi-aquatic. Fortunately, Tattersall and Campbell were able to examine these possibilities in summer 2022, while helping to film the animal for a wildlife documentary.
Thermal images of the star-nosed mole. The highly specialized nose of this species evolved to rapidly detect and consume hundreds of tiny prey items per day.
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