In front of the mouth of Condylura cristata unfolds a small pink star. Its twenty-two appendages give the star-nosed mole an almost invented look. However, they are neither an ornament nor fingers placed in the wrong place: they are a remarkable tactile organ.
These appendages carry thousands of sensitive structures called Eimer organs. By quickly touching its environment, the animal can spot small prey hidden in the wetlands of North America where it lives. Contact takes on an importance that we associate more spontaneously with sight.
The mole has many eyes, despite limited vision; it can also swim and look for food in the water. Its singularity is not therefore due to a single talent compensating for a total absence of vision. It has several senses, but one of them occupies the front of the stage: to know what is in front of it, this mole literally advances with its star.
What we know
Twenty-two tactile appendages; eyes present, not total blindness asserted.
To go to the source
References consulted on 3 October 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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