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| | SUNY-ESF: Adirondack Ecological Center |
 | | The hairy-tailed mole lacks the fleshy nasal tentacles of the star-nosed mole, but both possess fossorial specializations, e.g., minute eyes covered by fur; an absence of external ears; short, directionless fur, tapered snout, the lateral, crescent-shaped nostrils at the tip and opening upward; short limbs, and a nearly cylindrical body. |
 | | Most distinctive are the front feet that are modified for digging, and in the hairy-tailed mole, are broad, almost round in shape, and armed with short, stout claws. |
 | | The hairy-tailed mole uses its highly-developed sense of touch and smell to locate prey, catching some of these animals on the surface - a feeding strategy it is more likely to adopt at night - and the rest in the top layers of soil and plant debris. |
| www.esf.edu /aec/adks/mammals/hairytailed_mole.htm (959 words) |
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