Star-Nosed Mole: Nature’s Ultra-Sensitive Forager | ARKive #3556234 (License: Personal Use)

The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small, semi-aquatic mammal native to northeastern North America, famed for its extraordinary snout-a ring of 22 pink, fleshy appendages packed with over 25,000 sensory receptors. This adaptation allows it to identify and consume prey in as little as 120 milliseconds, making it the fastest-eating mammal known. Its large, spade-like forelimbs are specialized for digging through wet soils and marshy habitats.

This image is commonly used in educational wildlife articles, zoology resources, and conservation pages about North American mammals. It serves users seeking biological facts, evolutionary adaptations, or high-quality macro wildlife photography for research or outreach.