The star-nosed mole has a rose-colored ring of fleshy, retractable tentacles surrounding its nose. This nasal disc is bilaterally symmetrical with 11 projections on each side. Equally distinct is the ...

The fur is black or blackish-brown and has a purplish-brown sheen. The hairy-tailed mole lacks the fleshy nasal tentacles of the star-nosed mole, but both possess fossorial specializations, e.g., ...