I'd never really thought much about star nosed moles, but this article piqued my interest. They're fascinating little creatures, as it turns out (though I have to admit that I feel this way about most animals that I spend any time thinking about). This is the best page I've found so far this afternoon that deals with them, with this being the most interesting part of the article:
quote:Condylura cristata, equipped with its unique star, has perhaps the best sense of touch of any mammal. Each of the 22 appendages that make up the star is completely covered with tiny papillae known as Eimer's organs. Each Eimer's organ contains 3 types of tactile receptors, 2 of which are found in the skin of other mammals. The third type is unique to the star-nosed mole and is thought to allow the mole to identify objects by their microscopic texture. The star possesses over 25,000 Eimer's organs in a space less than 1 square cm, making it incredibly sensitive. A vast portion of the mole's brain is devoted to processing this tactile information. The shortest pair of tentacles at the bottom of the star have the greatest density of Eimer's organs and are apparently used to identify prey items. Although it has not been demonstrated conclusively, it is thought that the star may also be used to detect faint electrical signals from the star-nosed mole's aquatic prey. Laboratory tests have shown that C. cristata seems to be drawn to batteries placed underwater as well as to the areas of strongest electrical activity on prey items. If true, C. cristata and the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are the only mammals known to possess this ability.
How interesting is that? Imagine having that degree of tactile sensitivity! And imagine how different it would be if that were your primary way of interpreting the world around you.
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Does this mean they could be used for underwater tracking, if trained? Or perhaps another aquatic mammal?
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And yeah, with our brains it would be sensory overload, but with a properly wired brain, with very little processing power dedicated to optical sensory perception, it wouldn't be.
::tries to imagine what it would be like to have such tactile acuity that I could feel microscopic textures::
::starts thinking about what a sentient species that had this as their primary sense would be like::
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Maybe so, kq. It's interesting how much about this species is unknown. I'd love to observe them in the wild.
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