Star-nosed moles detect an edible treat like an insect larva or worm and gulp it down faster than the human eye can follow. Researchers at Vanderbilt University timed the moles' actiosn as part of a new study published in this week's issue of the scientific journal Nature. From the press release:
(Biologist Kenneth) Catania, working with laboratory assistant Fiona E. Remple, captured the elusive moles' feeding behavior with a high-speed video camera. Because they live in darkness, the moles have very poor eyesight. So they continually survey their environment by repeatedly touching the objects around them with their star appendages. Timing the moles' actions, the researchers found that after touching a small piece of food they took an average of 230 milliseconds to identify it as edible and eat it….
"The star-nose has the strangest teeth," Catania says. Its incisors are very small compared to other moles and are formed like tweezers. "This allows them to grasp small prey very precisely," he says.
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