Back طوبين نجمي الخطم Arabic خلد نجمى الانف ARZ Elmol (Condylura cristata) AVK Ulduz burun köstəyi Azerbaijani کوندیلورا کریستاتا AZB Звездоноса къртица Bulgarian Goz min-sterenn Breton Talp de musell estrellat Catalan Condylura cristata CEB Krtek hvězdonosý Czech
| Star-nosed mole[1] | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Talpidae |
| Genus: | Condylura |
| Species: | C. cristata
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| Binomial name | |
| Condylura cristata | |
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| Star-nosed mole range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Sorex cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small semiaquatic mole found in moist, low elevation areas in the northeastern parts of North America.[3] 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.[4]
The nose is about 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in diameter with its Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages.[5] Eimer's organs were first described in the European mole in 1872 by German zoologist Theodor Eimer. Other mole species also possess Eimer's organs, though they are not as specialized or numerous as in the star-nosed mole. Because the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, the snout was long suspected to be used to detect electrical activity in prey animals,[6] though little, if any, empirical support has been found for this hypothesis. The nasal star and dentition of this species appear to be primarily adapted to exploit extremely small prey. A report in the journal Nature gives this animal the title of fastest-eating mammal, taking as little as 120 milliseconds (average: 227 ms) to identify and consume individual food items.[7] Its brain decides in approximately eight milliseconds if prey is edible or not. This speed is at the limit of the speed of neurons.
These moles are also able to smell underwater, accomplished by exhaling air bubbles onto objects or scent trails and then inhaling the bubbles to carry scents back through the nose.[8]
- ^ Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 300–301. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Condylura cristata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41458A115187740. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41458A22322697.en. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Feldhamer, George A.; Thompson, Bruce C.; Chapman, Joseph A., eds. (2003). Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management and Conservation (2nd ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9780801874161.
- ^ Catania, Kenneth C. (June 2000). "A Star is Born". Natural History Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Catania, K.C. (1999). "A nose that looks like a hand and acts like an eye: the unusual mechanosensory system of the star-nosed mole". Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 185 (4): 367–372. doi:10.1007/s003590050396. PMID 10555270. S2CID 15216919.
- ^ Gould, Edwin; Mcf Mammalogy, William (1993). "Function of the Star in the Star-Nosed Mole, Condylura cristata". Journal of Mammalogy. 74 (1). American Society of Mammalogists: 108–116. doi:10.2307/1381909. JSTOR 1381909.
- ^ Catania, Kenneth C.; Remple, Fiona E. (2005). "Asymptotic prey profitability drives star-nosed moles to the foraging speed limit". Nature. 433 (7025): 519–522. Bibcode:2005Natur.433..519C. doi:10.1038/nature03250. PMID 15690041. S2CID 4421551.
- ^ Catania, K.C. (21 December 2006). "Olfaction: Underwater 'sniffing' by semi-aquatic mammals". Nature. 444 (7122): 1024–1025. Bibcode:2006Natur.444.1024C. doi:10.1038/4441024a. PMID 17183311. S2CID 4417227.