Up until now, Salient’s illustrious Animals of the Week have been—to some extent—endearing: the sloth, the slow loris, the kakapo… heck, even the pistol shrimp has a certain charm. But the same cannot be said for the star-nosed mole, which has a face only a mother could love. The best thing about this grotesque creature is that it spends most of its life underground, where no one (except Candy Badger) ever need see it. What is the purpose of those worm-like growths on its face? Well, the 22 mobile, pink, fleshy tentacles on the end of its snout are apparently used to identify food by touch, as the mole is blind—to all intents and purposes, it looks like it’s saving its dinner on its face for later. All I know is, I don’t want to look at it anymore. Next!
About the Author (Author Profile)
Elle started out at Salient reviewing music. In 2010, she wrote features and Animal of The Week, which an informal poll revealed to be 40% of Victoria students' favourite part of the magazine. Alongside Uther Dean, she was co-editor for 2011. In 2012, she is chief features writer.Subscribe
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