#724: Star-nosed Mole

Star-nose Moles are perhaps one of the strangest looking mammals in the world. She lives in the north-eastern areas of North America, and inhabits wet lowland areas. Many of her tunnels exit underwater, and she is a strong swimmer. Her most identifiable features are the 22 fleshy appendages surrounding her snout. These act as sensory receptors, helping her navigate and find prey in her subterranean home. These are extremely sensitive, and she is even able to scent underwater.

#698: Shrew

The Shrew are diminutive insectivores, related to the Mole. She is equipped with sharp, spike-like teeth and a fierce personality. There are numerous species, spread across the northern hemisphere. In the tropics, females can breed all year round, producing up to 10 litters. In the temperate regions, she will not breed over winter. With a short lifespan (around 2 years), fecundity is the key to her success. Some species are known to echolocate, using ultrasonic squeaks to navigate her environment. Some species are venomous, delivering the poison via groves in her teeth.

Other relatives to the Shrew include:
Desman
Mole
Tenrec (to come)

Treeshrews, Elephant Shrews and an assortment of other speciesnamed with the word "shrew" are not closely related.

Creature Feature #507: Nightjar

The nightjar are nocturnal birds, related to frogmouths and oilbirds. He is characterised by his long wings, short legs and short bill. At night, he takes to the air to forage for moths and other flying insects. During the day he relies on his cryptic colouration to stay hidden and some species even lie along the perch instead of across it, thus blending in even further with the bark. Some of these birds are so well camouflaged that scientists are unable to confirm whether they are locally common or extinct. Nightjar nest on the ground, laying a spotted egg amongst the leaf litter.

Some, like this Great Eared-Nightjar, sport characteristic tufted "ears", whereas other species have extremely long tails (the long-trained nightjar) or trailing plumes on their wings.

The Great Eared-Nightjar is classified as "least concern". He inhabits Southeast Asia.

Creature Feature #470: Mole

Moles belong to the Insectivore Family and dine on worms and insects and spend the majority of their life underground.He is superbly adapted to his subterranean life, equipped with powerful front limbs for digging. To survive in these suffocating burrows, his blood cells carry a unique protein, allowing him to re-use oxygen inhaled above ground. His  burrow acts as a "worm trap", when he senses a worm has fallen in he scurries along and captures it. A special toxin in his saliva paralyzes the earthworm, allowing him to store it away in a  larder for future consumption.