They might look like something out of science fiction, but star-nosed moles are real-life creatures that can be found across the East Coast, including in Connecticut. These small, furry mammals are a bit larger than a house mouse, and live underground in wetlands, digging tunnels with their enormous claws.

But their most distinctive feature is their pink, star-shaped nose.

Ken Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological of Sciences at Vanderbilt University has studied the neurobiology of the star-nosed mole’s strange snout for decades. He told Where We Live about the science behind these incredible creatures.

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