For our Fugly Friday post, we have chosen the Star Nosed Mole.
The star-nosed mole is a small mole found in wet low areas of eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States.
As its name implies, it has a star for a nose — specifically, a snout made up of 22 fleshy tentacles, that form a fleshy, circular star. The fleshy tentacles, each of which is covered with over 25,000 sensory receptors (called Eimer’s organs), are used to repeatedly touch objects near the mole. The star-nosed mole hunts worms and insects, and its specialized nose allows it to capture and eat its prey 14 times faster than any other mole.
The star-nosed mole is covered in thick blackish brown water-repellent fur and has large scaled feet and a long thick tail, which appears to function as a fat storage reserve for the spring breeding season. Adults are 15 to 20 cm in length, weigh about 55 g, and have 44 teeth.
It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.
You can watch the Star Nosed Mole in action in this video from BBC's "Life" documentary series:
So what do you think of the Star Nosed Mole? Is it cute or is it fugly?
Sources: Wikipedia and WildlifeNorthAmerica
