star-nosed mole
Snout with rays
A star-nosed mole is a small North American burrowing mammal distinguished by the ring of fleshy, finger-like tentacles surrounding its snout.
These twenty-two appendages serve as touch organs, making it one of the most sensitive tactile hunters in the animal kingdom.
The mole uses its star to detect prey in dark underground tunnels and underwater, where it also swims and forages.
Flexible grasping appendages
- snoutBeast's protruding face
- appendagesProjecting body parts
- pinkPale red hue
- fleshyThick with soft tissue
rays · nostrils · fur · velvety · forelimbs · small eyes · cylindrical · tail
Water-saturated terrain
- marshesWaterlogged land with grasses
- streamsContinuous flows of something
- pondsSmall freshwater bodies
- bogAcidic peat wetland
swimming · diving · submerged · freshwater · silt · amphibious · swamp · muskrat
Of the touching sense
- touchPerceiving through physical contact
- sensitiveEasily affected emotionally
- mechanoreceptorsSensory cells detecting pressure
- somatosensoryRelating to bodily sensation
vibrissae · neurobiology · sensory receptors · stimulus · sensation · nerve endings · proprioception · chemoreception
Organism eating bugs primarily
- mammalWarm-blooded, milk-producing animal
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- warm-bloodedInternally temperature-regulated
- placentalNourished before birth internally
Enclosed underground route
- digUnearth by shoveling
- excavateRemove earth systematically
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
soil · earthworms · nest · chamber · galleries · loam · forage · den
tentacles
Flexible grasping appendages
- snoutBeast's protruding face
- appendagesProjecting body parts
- pinkPale red hue
fleshy · rays · nostrils · fur · velvety · forelimbs · small eyes · cylindrical · tail
wetlands
Water-saturated terrain
- marshesWaterlogged land with grasses
- streamsContinuous flows of something
- pondsSmall freshwater bodies
bog · swimming · diving · submerged · freshwater · silt · amphibious · swamp · muskrat · crayfish
tactile
Of the touching sense
- touchPerceiving through physical contact
- sensitiveEasily affected emotionally
- mechanoreceptorsSensory cells detecting pressure
somatosensory · vibrissae · neurobiology · sensory receptors · stimulus · sensation · nerve endings · proprioception · chemoreception
insectivore
Organism eating bugs primarily
- mammalWarm-blooded, milk-producing animal
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- warm-bloodedInternally temperature-regulated
tunnel
Enclosed underground route
- digUnearth by shoveling
- excavateRemove earth systematically
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
underground · soil · earthworms · nest · chamber · galleries · loam · forage · den · mound