Facts
C. cristata can be very beneficial to humans. They prey on insects and larvae and aerate the soil with the tunnels they dig (Baker 1983).
C. cristata are not currently endangered, but humans are expanding and destroying the wetlands that C. cristata call home. They could be at risk in the future (Baker 1983; Hamilton 1931).
C. cristata and the playtpus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are the only mammals known to be able to detect faint electrical signals to aquire prey (Gould et al. 1998).
C. cristata can consume its body weight in worms and insects in a single day (PBS 2008).
The star shaped nose on C. cristata has over 160,000 touch sensors per square inch (PBS 2008).
C. cristata are the only mole species that live in the wetlands (Catania 2012).
C. cristata have the shortest handling time for consuming prey than any mammal. This means that they consume food faster than any species of mammal (PBS 2008).