Star nosed mole

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Condylura cristata 

     Like others of its kind, the star-nosed mole is very powerful in relation to its size. Using its paddle-shaped hands together with a twisting motion of its compact body, it constructs a network of tunnels a half of a metre beneath the surface but above the water table. Its nests are made of dried grass and other vegetation. 
     Found over most of eastern Canada as far north as James Bay, this animal is about 20 cm in length, approximately one third of which is tail. The tip of the snout is expanded into a naked pink disc which supports 22 finger-like tentacles or feelers which give this creature its name. 
       Active all year round it spends a good deal of its time in the water, where it is an able swimmer, even in winter. The star-nosed mole prefers wet, swampy ground and subsists on a diet of worms, insects, and crustaceans. It has few natural enemies but sometimes falls prey to the great horned owl and to some of the larger fish.