Dynamics of bubble formation by the star-nosed mole

The star-nosed mole can sniff underwater by rapidly blowing and inhaling bubbles. Does the speed of blowing influence the largest bubble that can be formed underwater? We fabricate a plastic star analogous to the star-nosed mole's fleshy nose, and use a weighted syringe to create bubbles using constant pressure. We present scalings of the time for the bubble to expand, elongate, deform, and pinch-off. We show that higher flow rates lead to larger bubbles with shorter lifetimes, which may be advantageous to the mole which would like to sniff often and intake as much odor as possible.