by The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small semiaquatic mole found in moist, low elevation areas in the northern parts of North America.
It is the only extant member of the tribe Condylurini and genus Condylura, and it has more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors in touch organs, known as Eimer's organs, with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around.
With the help of its Eimer's organs, it may be perfectly poised to detect seismic wave vibrations.
The nose is about 1 cm in diameter with its Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages.
Eimer's organs were first described in the European mole in 1871 by German zoologist Theodor Eimer.
Because the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, the snout was long suspected to be used to detect electrical activity in prey animals, though little, if any, empirical support has been found for this hypothesis.
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It is the only extant member of the tribe Condylurini and genus Condylura, and it has more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors in touch organs, known as Eimer's organs, with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around.
With the help of its Eimer's organs, it may be perfectly poised to detect seismic wave vibrations.
The nose is about 1 cm in diameter with its Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages.
Eimer's organs were first described in the European mole in 1871 by German zoologist Theodor Eimer.
Because the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, the snout was long suspected to be used to detect electrical activity in prey animals, though little, if any, empirical support has been found for this hypothesis.
Source
