Named for its multifunctional and very strangely shaped nose, the star nosed mole is one of nature’s most interesting creatures. Star nosed moles are known for having underdeveloped eyes and using their star-shaped noses as their main sensory organ. These noses have eleven tentacles that are believed to act similarly to the whiskers of other creatures and contain over 25 thousand sensory organs (they’re named “Elmer’s Organs” for the scientist who first observed them). Although it looks like they don’t have much of a head, if you look close you can see the tiny little eyes that don’t see very well.

Star nosed moles can be found in Labrador, Quebec, Minnesota (US), Indiana (US), and South Dakota (US); preferring to live in wet and low habitats like marsh lands, banks of ponds, lakes, streams, and wetlands of all kinds.

Star nosed moles are semi-aquatic and often burrow from the land below the surface of the water, exiting to forage or go about their business underwater. With their sturdy large claws, they are well-equipped for digging. These animals are great swimmers and can hunt and smell underwater. They smell underwater by blowing out air bubbles and then sniffing them back in. They can even function underwater during the winter, swimming through semi-frozen streams. They also have water-repellant fur and are known as the world’s fastest foragers because their time from identification to capture of prey is so fast that humans can barely perceive it. Worms, insects and molluscs are what they are usually in search of.