Southeastern star-nosed mole
(Condylura cristataparva)
Description & Range:
The star-nosed mole is a medium-sized mole with a stout, cylindrical body. They measure 6-9 total inches in length, with a tail that measures ⅓ to ½ of the body length. They have dense, blackish-brown fur, small eyes, broad feet, and large front claws. Their most distinguishable characteristic is their snout, which is hairless and circled by a star-shaped ring of 22 fleshy appendages which act as sensory organs both for navigation and detecting prey.
The southeastern star-nosed mole is one of two subspecies of the star-nosed mole. It is distinguished both by its smaller size and southern range. The star-nosed mole can be found throughout eastern Canada and the eastern United States, with the southeastern subspecies mainly residing in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Habitat:
Star-nosed moles prefer moist habitats with wet soils, such as swamps, marshes, floodplains, and bogs. They will also inhabit the banks of streams, lakes, and ponds. Star-nosed moles dig burrows that are located anywhere from 1 to 23 inches below the surface, and often contain an underwater opening.
Diet:
Star-nosed moles feed primarily on invertebrates. While they eat plenty of earthworms, they prefer to hunt aquatic prey when there is access to a body of water. They will eat leeches and aquatic insects, such as the larvae of caddisflies, midges, dragonflies and damselfies, crane flies, and stoneflies. They will also occasionally prey upon terrestrial insects, aquatic crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
Reproduction:
Star-nosed moles breed from March to August, producing 1 litter per year with 3-7 young. Mating pairs are monogamous for one breeding season. They build their nests high above the water flooding level, with dead leaves, dead grass, and straw.
Behavior:
Star-nosed moles are active both day and night. They dig networks of tunnels through moist soil for foraging, occasionally close enough to the surface to form “mole hills.” They are fairly social, and are believed to form small, loose colonies of related individuals. Semi-aquatic, star-nosed moles are good swimmers and divers, using their large forelimbs as paddles to help swim underwater in a characteristic zigzag pattern. When foraging for food, their nasal tentacles act as an electro-sensory device to detect prey.
Sources:
Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America, Fourth Edition
https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106045/Condylura_cristata_parva
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Condylura_cristata/
https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/star-nosed-mole-2/
https://www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/jrnl/2007/nrs_2007_laerm_011.pdf
