Encountering a Star-nosed Mole

Oohs and aahs escaped from the back workshop as staff came and left throughout the day. Each time one of the ladies opened the door, I welcomed her over to inspect my newest discovery. 

We didn't need to recount all the amazing facts about the star-nosed mole's life--how he would have used the fleshy rays on his face to locate earthworms, or how his hairy tail swells to store fat in the winter--for the encounter with this lifeless mole to fill our day with wonder. 

Star-nosed moles are adapted to life underground, with front feet like shovels, electroreceptor rays for feeling
out earthworms, and subtle eyes.

Each of the 22 rays has over 25,000 touch receptors. Because eyesight is limited in a mole's dark,
underground tunnels, these rays allow the mole to "see" his world.

Prying away fuzzy hair, the mole's tiny eyes become visible for the first time.

Unlike other taxidermy preparations in the past, I found that the eyes came out on
their own while I removed the skin from the skull. With other animals, I would typically
extract the eyes through the animal's mouth. 

The simple moments spent eye to tiny, indistinguishable eye with the mole were more than enough for me.