Illustration of star-nosed mole
star-nosed mole
noun
: a common black long-tailed semiaquatic mole (Condylura cristata) of the northeastern U.S. and adjacent Canada that has a series of pink fleshy projections surrounding the nostrils
Examples of star-nosed mole in a Sentence
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The star-nosed mole’s speed is an adaptation for the act of recognition itself — for making correct categorical decisions, in the dark, at the physical limit of neural transmission.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
In particular, the native inhabitants of Niflheim, which look like a cross between giant woodlice and star-nosed moles and yet are capable of being cute, bring to mind Okja’s super pigs, especially when one of the babies is imperiled.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2025
In search of clues, Martínez Real and Jiménez Medina were part of a team that analyzed the genomes of the Iberian mole and one of its relatives, the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata), whose females also develop ovotestes.
—Alejandra Manjarrez, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2023
Researchers compared the genomes of these mammals with those of a diverse assortment of others, including an aardvark, a meerkat, a star-nosed mole and a human.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2023
Gaze upon the male star-nosed mole and its 22 pink, fleshy appendages in place of a face.
—Leanne Italie, ajc, 23 Dec. 2022
The star-nosed mole can barely see, yet this hamster-size mammal is the fastest-hunting predator in the animal kingdom.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2022
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
In particular, the native inhabitants of Niflheim, which look like a cross between giant woodlice and star-nosed moles and yet are capable of being cute, bring to mind Okja’s super pigs, especially when one of the babies is imperiled.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2025
In search of clues, Martínez Real and Jiménez Medina were part of a team that analyzed the genomes of the Iberian mole and one of its relatives, the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata), whose females also develop ovotestes.
—Alejandra Manjarrez, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2023
Researchers compared the genomes of these mammals with those of a diverse assortment of others, including an aardvark, a meerkat, a star-nosed mole and a human.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2023
Gaze upon the male star-nosed mole and its 22 pink, fleshy appendages in place of a face.
—Leanne Italie, ajc, 23 Dec. 2022
The star-nosed mole can barely see, yet this hamster-size mammal is the fastest-hunting predator in the animal kingdom.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Star-nosed mole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star-nosed%20mole. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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