Contributors

Vanderbilt University neuroscientist Kenneth Catania first got acquainted with the star-nosed mole as a volunteer research assistant at the National Zoo during his undergrad years at the University of Maryland. Although his graduate work took him in the direction of electro-reception—the ability of animals to detect electric stimuli—Catania felt pulled by the many still-unsolved mysteries surrounding the star-nosed mole. The animal’s weird behaviors include its ability to sniff and smell underwater and its world-record eating speed (managing to locate and eat food in only 120 milliseconds!)—just a couple of Catania’s favorite star-nosed mole facts. While his research also probes the sensory abilities other unique creatures, such as aquatic snakes bearing tentacles that detect prey, water shrews with impressive predatory abilities, and naked mole-rats with their vibration-sensing whiskers, the star-nosed mole keeps him on his toes. “Around every corner there’s some really interesting surprise,” he says. Read about his research on ...