Shrew
Soricidae
2
Nom français: Musaraigne
2
- Seven different species in NE america.
- VERY common and widespread, but hard to observe as they live mainly underground. If you look for them, you will probably easily find tiny meandering tunnels in the leaf litter. They live in a wide diversity of habitats: suburbs, woods, prairies, marshes, etc.
- They spend most of their lives underground and their sight is quite deficient. They use echolocation like bats and dolphins.
- Some shrew species are the smallest mammals on earth. For example, our Pygmy shrew measures 7-10 cm (including the tail) and weight 2.5-7 g.
- They kind of look like a mouse with a long nose but they are not rodents. They are closely related to moles and have sharp, spike-like teeth.
- Some species are formidable predators: even though they mainly forage on insects and other invertebrates, they can hunt preys that are as large as or larger than themselves like frogs, snakes, mice and baby rabbits. They have a gland in their jaw that produce poison that can paralyze or kill their prey.
- Their metabolism is high and needs constant fuel. Their heart beats SUPER fast........ from 800 to 1200 beats per minute! That's up to 20 beats per SECOND!! They are active days and night, foraging for food. If they go without food for over something like 3-4 hours they would die. I imagine their life looks like: finding food, eating, sleeping a little bit, foraging, eating, sleeping, and so on.
- It is not uncommon to see their tracks on the surface of snow in winter, but they prefer to dig galleries under thick snow.
- They have glands on their body releasing a foul smell. These secretions are left in their tunnels and trails to mark their territory. Could this nauseating odor be the reason for shrews sometimes being hunted and then left behind by predators?
Fontes e Créditos
- (c) Hyun-tae Kim, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocidura_lasiura_2813469.jpg
- (c) Alice Roy-Bolduc, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)
