The star-nosed mole, found in North America, is listed in the Guinness World Records.
Face to face, this creature resembles a character from a nightmare: between its two outwardly turned limbs with powerful claws lies a wedge-shaped snout, narrowing towards the nose, at the tip of which sway twenty-two short pink tentacles. These appendages are necessary for it to navigate its surroundings.
ZOOSOURCE
Star-nosed mole
Condylura cristata
Class — Mammals
Order — Eulipotyphla
Family — Talpidae
Genus — Condylura
Size 10–13 cm
Found in the eastern part of North America in highly moist and marshy soils
The star-nosed mole, also known as the star-nosed, resembles a mole, but it is not completely blind — its small eyes can distinguish some objects. In its life, it relies on smell and touch, and the crown of appendages around its nose assists it in this.
Each appendage is covered with mechanoreceptors — Eimer's organs. This allows the star-nosed mole to astonishingly quickly feel small objects in its path (sometimes several at once), determining their edibility. If the decision is positive, the found item is immediately taken into its mouth with sharp teeth and instantly eaten.
The star-nosed mole is listed in the Guinness World Records as the fastest eater among mammals: the process from discovering a "dish" to resuming the search takes this animal only 0.12–0.4 seconds!
The star-nosed mole swims and dives excellently, often hunting in water. However, it cannot detect smells directly from the water — for that, it would have to inhale it. Once again, its unique nose comes to the rescue: the creature blows air bubbles from its nostrils. In these, odor molecules diffuse from the water, after which the bubbles are drawn back in, and the molecules reach the receptors. Other semi-aquatic insectivores — the European water shrew and the marsh shrew — do the same. However, their bubbles often detach. The star-nosed mole, on the other hand, has appendages on its nose that securely hold the transition bubble.
