Helmets, NOW!

August 3, 2007 10:33 AM

Meet the star-nosed mole. Capable of smelling underwater as well as the usual digging, it looks like some kind of bizarre mole-illithid hybrid and is the world's fastest eater.
posted by Orange Pamplemousse (28 comments total)

Wow. I've seen pictures of those, but I thought they were jokes, like the Hotheaded Naked Ice Border from Discover Magazine all those years ago.

That's high on the creepy scale, for sure.
posted by Malor at 10:37 AM on August 3, 2007

Argh, proofread. "Naked Ice Borer", not Border. Damn rented fingers.
posted by Malor at 10:38 AM on August 3, 2007

More info and youtube goodness.
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 10:38 AM on August 3, 2007

whoa. All kinds of kleenex thoughts come to mind. Or images of french ticklers.A star is born. That is one weird looking critter. And smelling underwater? No way. Incredible.
posted by nickyskye at 10:41 AM on August 3, 2007

a series of trials where the researchers set out worm sushi for the moles

So they served the worms with short-grained rice seasoned with salt, sugar and vinegar, then?
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:50 AM on August 3, 2007

I guess "star-nosed mole" is a nicer name than "hideously tentacled mole-like beast from Hades."
posted by ORthey at 10:54 AM on August 3, 2007 [4 favorites]

A star nosed mole figures prominently in John Irving's "A Widow for One Year."
posted by frecklefaerie at 11:05 AM on August 3, 2007

But...are they really an alien race from the future, come to consume our minds and re-establish their terrible intergalactic empire in this time, thus assuring their dominance over all the universe for time eternal?

I don't think they're doing a great job, if so.
posted by invitapriore at 11:07 AM on August 3, 2007

It's this, I tell you! cstross can back me up! The picture's in the Monster Manual...what, you mean to tell me no one scanned in a brain mole yet?
posted by StrikeTheViol at 11:14 AM on August 3, 2007

My six year old son is the world's fastest eater, so, y'know, nice try mole.
posted by salishsea at 11:17 AM on August 3, 2007

We get so may products from the lowly mole.
Mole skin, the ever useful esters of mole, molasses....
posted by Floydd at 11:37 AM on August 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

I guess "star-nosed mole" is a nicer name than "hideously tentacled mole-like beast from Hades."

When I imagine the Cthulu while reading Lovecraft, they look something like these, except bigger.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:45 AM on August 3, 2007

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
posted by Justinian at 11:46 AM on August 3, 2007

*YoBananaBoy rolls for initiative*
*YoBananaBoy psionic blasts StrikeTheViol*
posted by YoBananaBoy at 11:47 AM on August 3, 2007

StrikeTheViol, I'll be checking my MM tonight...
posted by misskaz at 11:54 AM on August 3, 2007

Those videos of the mole are incredible. I've never seen a mammal grab it's food and eat so fast! I wonder if it ever suffers from indigestion?
posted by Salmonberry at 12:04 PM on August 3, 2007

FYI, it's the 2nd AD&D edition picture I was thinking of, I don't know if they've watered down my fave psionic creature since then...*gazes wistfully into distance*
posted by StrikeTheViol at 12:15 PM on August 3, 2007

Cthulhu fhtagn!
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:50 PM on August 3, 2007

I had a friend who smelled underwater. But he smelled worse above it.
posted by stargell at 12:55 PM on August 3, 2007

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
posted by Justinian at 11:46 AM on August 3 [+] [!]



Gesundheit!
posted by stenseng at 1:07 PM on August 3, 2007

There once was a crazy-ass mole
We won't touch with a 100-foot pole
Today it appeared
to be seen around here
And then vanished back down in its hole
posted by ORthey at 1:29 PM on August 3, 2007

I think it's kind of cute...
posted by naoko at 1:40 PM on August 3, 2007

Aww, I want to scritch it's little head, and maybe rub his belly, and feed him a soul or two.

But nothing caffeinated. I suspect if we ever want to experience FTL movement, we just need to give one of these some speed.
posted by quin at 2:38 PM on August 3, 2007

Pre-caffeine, I read the lead as "... capable of smelling underwear as well as the usual digging ..."

Sure got my attention. Kink-eh!
posted by rob511 at 3:34 PM on August 3, 2007

If they could be domesticated, I think someone would make a fortune selling these as pets. The DnD crowd alone would go nuts over them (StrikeTheViol, I'm looking at you), and they are pretty cute.

And hey, they live longer than hamsters!
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 3:50 PM on August 3, 2007

Does no one else remember the star-nosed mole from the Frantics?

Boot to the head! nah nah!
posted by blue_beetle at 7:14 PM on August 3, 2007

That's the most amazing nose since Cyrano's. The ability to smell underwater? Unreal.

Thanks for this!
posted by perilous at 7:43 PM on August 3, 2007

Yep, there it goes. Straight into the part of my brain that saves images for use in future nightmares.
posted by Artaud at 11:29 PM on August 3, 2007