4.5 Article

Thermoconforming rays of the star-nosed mole

Journal

JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 226, Issue 3, Pages -

Publisher

COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245127

Keywords

Sensory organ; Thermoregulation; Insectivore; Thermal window; Thermography

Categories

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The star-nosed mole has specialized star-like rostrum for tactile sensation, but it does not actively regulate its surface temperature when exposed to cold water and thermally conductive soil, which may help reduce conductive heat loss.
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is renowned for its densely innervated 22 appendage star-like rostrum ('star') specialized for tactile sensation. As a northerly distributed insectivorous mammal exploiting aquatic and terrestrial habitats, these vascularized nasal rays are regularly exposed to cold water and thermally conductive soil, leading us to ask whether the star surface temperature, a proxy for blood flow, conforms to the local ambient temperature to conserve body heat. Alternatively, given the exquisite sensory nature of the star, we posited that the uninsulated rays may be kept warm when foraging to maintain high mechanosensory function. To test these hypotheses, we remotely monitored surface temperatures in wild-caught star-nosed moles. Although the tail acted as a thermal window exhibiting clear vasoconstriction/vasodilation, the star varied passively in surface temperature, with little evidence for thermoregulatory vasomotion. This thermoconforming response may have evolved to minimize conductive heat loss to the water or wet soils when foraging.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.5
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available