Star-nosed Mole

  The star-nosed mole is a small hamster sized rodent found in wet areas of eastern Canada and north-eastern United States. These animals are easily identified by eleven pairs of pink fleshy appendages surrounding their snout, used as a touch organ with over 25,000 sensory receptors. These are called Eimer's organs, in which this mole uses to feel is way around. The star-nosed mole is capable of, amazingly, smelling underwater.

  The star-nosed mole eats small invertebrates, including insects, aquatic insects, worms, and mollusks such as snails. The mole is an excellent swimmer and is capable of foraging along the bottoms of streams and ponds. The mole is active both day and night and remains active in the winter. Little is known about the social behavior of the mole but it is suspected that they live in colonies.Predators include birds of prey such as the red-tailed hawk, the great horned owl, various skunks and other members of the weasel family, large fish and the domestic cat.