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Animal profile

Star-nosed Mole

Condylura cristata

MammaliaWet lowland soils, marsh edges, streambanks and damp meadowsLeast Concern

Field profile

The star-nosed mole is a small semi-aquatic mole ringed by twenty-two fleshy tentacles around its snout. It tunnels in wet soil and forages underwater as readily as underground. Its star is a touch organ of extraordinary sensitivity, not a smelling or grasping structure.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-03-28

Star-nosed Mole

The star-nosed mole eats faster than any other mammal

It can identify a prey item and swallow it in well under a quarter of a second. The twenty-two tentacles around its nose are a touch organ dense with mechanoreceptors, and they let the animal decide edibility almost as fast as its nervous system can respond.

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Star-nosed Mole | Daily Animal Facts