Post 988: April 30th, 2022. Moles are generally known for spending most of their time underground, but for star-nosed moles, a good chunk of that time is actually spent underwater. . Most mole species aren't able to swim, but for the North American wetland inhabitants, it's necessary. They aren't your average aquatic creature, and it all starts with their unique noses. Made up of 22 tentacle arms, their famous star noses are equipped with 100,000 nerve endings - making it the most sensitive touch organ in the animal kingdom (a human hand has about 17,000 nerve endings). Even in underground environments, the moles are able to scrounge through tunnels at record-breaking speeds. Thanks to having so many nerve endings, they can determine whether something is edible in just 8 milliseconds! . Their extreme noses are also vital to their lives underwater. Because the moles aren't able to see, and feeling around the entire bottom of a bog is near impossible (without drowning), they have to use their noses another way. By quickly blowing bubbles and inhaling them, the moles are able to pick up odorant molecules of potential prey. They are able to blow between 5 and 10 bubbles each second, but must enclose them with their tentacles to keep them from floating to the surface. . . Read more about star-nosed moles: https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2018/Feb-Mar/Animals/Star-nosed-Mole . Graphic shows a star-nosed mole's nose tentacles. The factoid reads: "Star-nosed moles can blow and inhale targeted bubbles in order to smell underwater." . . #starnosedmole #molefacts #amazinganimals #weirdanimals #animalfacts #pixelplanet #pixelplanettoday #pixelart #planetfacts #artivism #climatedesign