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Shrews are small animals common in the countries of the northern hemisphere. In total, there are about 130 different species, mainly living in North America, Europe, North Asia.
The shrews do not dig holes, but use the passages of mice, moles, trample their paths under the snow and forest floor. Animals do no harm, on the contrary, by eating insects and their larvae, destroy a large number of pests of forests and farms.
Shrew species
Ordinary
The common shrew is the most common animal of this species in Russia.
Body length 6-9 cm, tail 3.5-5 cm.Weight - 6-15 gr. Has a dark coat, an elongated muzzle, small ears and small black eyes.
Most often, this shrew settles in deciduous and mixed forests, choosing shady and humid zones as its habitat.
It is mainly active at night, leaving the shelters 2-3 hours before nightfall. Eats various types of insects and their larvae, earthworms, frogs, seeds.
This view is clearly visible in the photo attached below.
During periods of hunger can also feed on small carrion... During feeding, it usually stands on all four legs, but the slippery insect captures its forelimbs. The common shrew along the bark of trees can climb to the eggs of a paired silkworm or a nun butterfly.
It brings three broods per year. The gestation period can take 18-28 days, up to 10 cubs are born in one litter. The female builds the nest from leaves and stems of grass, placing soft material in it. The lifespan is no more than 1.5 years.
You can clearly see the common shrew in the video below.
Baby shrew (American)
The baby shrew is the smallest species of shrewwho lives in North America.
Its scientific name is Sorex hoyi, this animal acquired by the name of a naturalist and doctor from America Philip Hoy.
Lives in Canada and the United States, where he lives in forests with deciduous and coniferous trees, as well as in the open air.
The body length of this species of shrew is no more than 5 cm, including the 2 cm tail. Weight reaches 2-2.5 grams. The coat is gray-brown or red-brown on the back, and light on the belly. During winter, all fur is lightened.
Shows activity at any time of the day, as well as all year round. Like other shrews, it feeds on small insects, worms and other small invertebrates. Enemies in nature are birds of prey, snakes, domestic cats.
The breeding period begins in the first months of summer, pregnancy lasts 18 days. For a year, the baby shrew bears only one offspring, in which there are from 3 to 8 cubs.
Tiny
Tiny shrew - smallest mammal, which lives in Russia, as well as one of the smallest insectivores found in Europe.
She inhabits the territory from the Scandinavian countries to the Far East, including about. Sakhalin.
In the northern regions, it lives up to the border of the tundra and forest-tundra. It is included in the Red Book of the Murmansk region.
The length of the animal is no more than 5 cm, of which 2.5-3 cm falls on the tail. Average weight is 3-4 grams. Has a wide head, which sharply passes into the proboscis.
Compared with other species of shrews, this one has the smallest tail - it occupies up to 54% of the entire length.
How tiny the size can be seen in the photo below.
Coat color - brown or dark brown on top and light gray on the belly. The tail is also covered with fine hair with a distinct dark to light color change.
Lives in forests with different types of trees, along the edges of the swamps. The tiny shrew is also found in the tundra, semi-deserts and steppes.
But when settling, he loves exactly those places where you can find a large amount of food, regardless of the season and conditions. It feeds on small insects, larvae, spiders.
Due to the very high metabolism, can eat up to 80 times a dayalternating these intervals with sleep. When starving, dies within a couple of hours.
It can hatch 1-2 litters per year, each of which has up to 8 (usually 4-5) pups.
Small
The small shrew is small long-tailed species... It is found in Europe and Russia - from the European part to southern Siberia.
The body is 4-6 cm long, with the tail taking 50-70% of the length. Weight up to 5 grams. The proboscis on the muzzle is very elongated, which, along with its length, is the main difference between this species and the tiny shrew. The color of the fur on the back is from brown to red, the abdomen is much lighter. In winter, the coat darkens even more.
The lesser shrew settles in forests, places with damp, but not very shaded. Dislikes open areas with dry grass. It feeds on small insects, spiders, worms, including dung beetles, ground beetles, leaf beetles and many others. Active all day long.
The breeding season lasts all summer, during which the animal has 1-2 litters with 4-12 individuals.
Average
In size, the middle shrew occupies a transitional position between the lesser and the common shrew. Inhabits a wide area from eastern Europe to the Far East, Mongolia and Korea. This is the only shrew that can be found in any natural environment from river floodplains to mountain tundra.
At the same time, a stable number of these animals is found only in floodplain larch forests. It is one of the most numerous shrews.
The body length of the animal is up to 7.5 cm, of which the tail takes 40-70%. Weight up to 7.5 grams. The color of the upper part can vary from brown to red, the lower part is light.
The common shrew feeds on insects and larvae, which is found in the forest floor, as well as beetles, spiders, earthworms. In winter, it is highly dependent on larch seeds, a poor harvest of which can lead to mass death of the animal during the cold period.
Breeding takes place in warm weather, usually from 2 to 11 pups in the litter.
Giant
The giant shrew is the most a large representative of this species of animals... In addition, it lives only in a limited zone of the Primorsky Territory, and therefore is included in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species with a decreasing number. There are no data on the number of individuals.
Body length - from 7 to 10 cm, of which the tail accounts for 70-75%. Weight reaches 14 grams. The color of the coat is gray-brown, long antennae are clearly visible on the muzzle (up to 3 cm).
Giant shrew - photo attached.
Eats insects daily as much as it weighs. In this case, the animal may die if it does not eat for more than 3 hours.
The main food is earthworms, which make up 95% of its menu. Also eats frogs, snakes, small rodents, fruits of plants.
In search of food, it can bury itself in dense soil. Lives about 1.5 years. In one year, female giant shrews give birth to only one offspring.however, the number of pups is not known.
Even-toothed
The even-toothed shrew has specific differences, which allow it to be identified from other species - one has a monochromatic dark shade, and pronounced fifth upper tooth.
Lives in the taiga zone, from Scandinavia to the Pacific Ocean, found in Belarus (the only species of shrew living in this country). Loves river valleys. Included in the Red Book of Karelia and the Moscow Region.
Body size - 6-9 cm, of which the tail accounts for up to 55%. The even-toothed shrew weighs about 6.5 grams and feeds on insects and their larvae, which it finds in the forest floor. In winter, it switches to seeds of spruce and deciduous trees.
Live up to 1.5 years. The breeding period for overwintered individuals begins at the end of spring. Females can bring 1-2 offspring per season, 2-10 cubs each.
Flat cranial (brown)
The squamous shrew is another species that can be identified without measurement. This includes characteristic color of the coatwhich goes from dark on the back to light on the sides and gray-white on the abdomen. In addition, this animal tail is quite furry.
The territory of distribution of the flat-craned shrew is from the Urals to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Lives in the tundra, taiga and mountainous regions, often found within the habitat (about where different types of shrews live and what they eat, you can find out here). Loves areas of dark coniferous taiga.
There is no exact data on the diet. Most likely, it does not differ much from the menu of other representatives of this species, which includes insects, larvae and earthworms.
It reproduces in the warm season, at one time it is capable of giving birth to 8 to 10 cubs.
Conclusion
The shrew is found in many countries, inhabiting almost all natural zones - from the tundra to the steppes.
Sizes range from 5 to 10 cm, some species are included in the local Red Data Books due to the limited habitat.
The diet of all animals is similar, and includes various types of insects, spiders and worms. They do not harm the farm.
If you want to know what types of shrews exist, how to get rid of them in your summer cottage, follow the link.
