Small shrew. Shrew: common, tiny, tiny, small, medium, giant, equal-toothed and flat-toothed
| Little shrew | |
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| International scientific name | |
|
Sorex minutus Linnaeus, |
|
| Security status | |
Little shrew, or small shrew, or little shrew(lat. Sorex minutus) - European look shrews.
Description
Body length 43-64 mm, tail length 31-46 mm. Body weight 2.5-7.5 g. The color of the back is brown-gray, reddish-coffee. The ventral side is grayish-white, sometimes yellowish-fawn. Winter fur is darker, brownish-coffee in color. The hair on the tail is thick and long. The proboscis is very elongated and sharp.
Area
Write a review about the article "Small shrew"
Notes
Links
Excerpt characterizing the Little shrew
She rushed to Sonya, hugged her and cried. – A little wounded, but promoted to officer; “He’s healthy now, he writes himself,” she said through tears.“It’s clear that all of you women are crybabies,” said Petya, walking around the room with decisive big steps. “I am so very glad and, truly, very glad that my brother distinguished himself so much.” You are all nurses! you don't understand anything. – Natasha smiled through her tears.
-Have you not read the letter? – Sonya asked.
“I didn’t read it, but she said that everything was over, and that he was already an officer...
“Thank God,” said Sonya, crossing herself. “But maybe she deceived you.” Let's go to maman.
Petya walked silently around the room.
“If I were Nikolushka, I would kill even more of these French,” he said, “they are so vile!” I would beat them so much that they would make a bunch of them,” Petya continued.
- Shut up, Petya, what a fool you are!...
“I’m not a fool, but those who cry over trifles are fools,” said Petya.
– Do you remember him? – after a minute of silence Natasha suddenly asked. Sonya smiled: “Do I remember Nicolas?”
“No, Sonya, do you remember him so well that you remember him well, that you remember everything,” Natasha said with a diligent gesture, apparently wanting to attach the most serious meaning to her words. “And I remember Nikolenka, I remember,” she said. - I don’t remember Boris. I don't remember at all...
- How? Don't remember Boris? – Sonya asked in surprise.
“It’s not that I don’t remember, I know what he’s like, but I don’t remember it as well as Nikolenka.” Him, I close my eyes and remember, but Boris is not there (she closed her eyes), so, no - nothing!
- Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
- Subclass: Theria Parker et Haswell, 1879= Viviparous mammals, true animals
- Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872= Placental, higher animals
- Superorder: Ungulata = Ungulates
- Order: Insectivora Bowdich, 1821 = Insectivores
- Family: Soricidae Fischer von Waldheim, 1817 = Shrews
Species: Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766 = Little shrew
Appearance. Shrews are small animals with long noses and long tails.
Body length 4-6 cm, tail 3-4.5 cm. The proboscis is longer and sharper than that of the average and tiny shrew, with a noticeable narrowing in front of the eyes. The top is brown-gray (dark coffee in winter), the bottom is grayish or yellowish. The tail is covered with thick short fur, the teeth have red-brown tips (1). The ears hardly protrude from the fur. The color is dark, most often brownish-gray. 
Spreading. Lives in the European part of Russia, Western and Southern Siberia to Lake Baikal to the east, in dry forests, forest-tundra and forest-steppes, common in the south Western Siberia. They live in forests, forest-steppes and tundras, less often in floodplains of steppe rivers and meadows.
Biology and behavior. Contrary to the name, shrews do not dig holes themselves, but use the passages of rodents and moles, cracks and voids in the soil, or move under a layer of forest litter and in the grass, trampling long compacted passages-tunnels (2), and in winter they trample branched paths in the thickness of the snow (3 ).
In winter, they almost never come out from under the snow, but they do not hibernate even in the Yakut forest-tundra with their terrible frosts. In cold winters with little snow, when shrews cannot get insects from frozen soil, they have to run a lot in the snow, collecting tree seeds. The snow passages of shrews are very narrow (up to 2 cm) (3).
Shrews have an unpleasant odor, so most predators do not eat them. Therefore, on forest paths you often see animals killed and abandoned by predators (4). However, owls, for example, successfully feed on shrews, leaving behind characteristic pellets (5). 
In the taiga zone, the number of shrews is usually 200-600 per hectare, in the tundra - 3-5 times less.
The very high metabolic rate of these tiny animals is manifested in the fact that of all mammals they have the greatest need for oxygen and the most heat body - over 40°C.
Footprints. The tracks of shrews are very shallow, small, five-toed (6), usually located in pairs. If the snow is not covered with crust, then a clear imprint of the tail remains behind the footprint (7).
Nutrition. Small animals, shrews, cool down very quickly in the cold, so they have to eat a lot to maintain body temperature. Shrews sometimes eat four times more than their own weight in a day, and without food they die within a few hours.
In forests, shrews are among the most numerous mammals and, unnoticed by the eye, do a great job of controlling the number of insects on the forest floor. They eat especially a lot of beetles, earthworms, and insect larvae. They do not disdain their own kind, especially in winter (8) (the picture shows the skin of a shrew, eaten by other shrews). In addition to animal food, they also eat seeds (mainly from coniferous trees), which they sometimes store for the winter, and sometimes mushrooms. 
They also eat their own and other people's droppings.
Reproduction. Shrews build spherical nests from the stems and leaves of herbaceous plants (9). Shrews have 2-3 broods per year, each with 2-10 young. Shrews breed all summer, pregnancy lasts 18-28 days. Two or three times a year, females give birth to blind, naked cubs, which become independent after 3-4 weeks. .
Listed in Red Data Book of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) .
Description of the signs. A small, relatively long-tailed shrew, one of the smallest shrews. Only the tiny shrew is smaller than her. Body length with head 40-64 mm; tail length 31-42 mm; foot length 9-11 mm; weight 2.4-5.0 g. The proboscis is narrow and long, which is especially striking when viewing the head from the side. The head in the eye area has a well-defined narrowing. The tail is heavily pubescent, covered with long, very light hair below; it is sharply thinned at the base and has a clearly visible tassel at the end. Ok-painting of the fur is two-tone. The back, which is brown in different shades, gradually turns into a brownish-gray or gray belly. The color of the tail is two-color: the upper side matches the color of the back, the lower side matches the ventral side of the body.
Condylobasal length of the skull is 13.9-15.4, on average 14.9 mm; greatest width 6.7-7.6, average 7.3 mm; greatest height 4.2-5.3, average 4.7 mm. Skull with a rounded, swollen brain capsule and a narrow facial part. The greatest height of the brain capsule is approximately 2 times more height of the facial part of the skull in the area of the fourth premolar (P 4) tooth. The first three upper intermediate teeth are almost equal in size, and their tops are at the same level, or the second intermediate is smaller than the first and third.
S h o d n y e v i d s. Differs from the tiny shrew - larger in size and bushy tail; from the common shrew - also with a fluffy tail, approximately the same height of the 1st and 3rd intermediate teeth; from other co-occurring shrew species - in smaller sizes.
Trace of B odily. Footprints in the snow are similar to those of the common shrew, but smaller. When the animal moves in leaps, the length of the jumps is from 3.5 to 5.5 cm, the width of the track is about 2.5 cm. Paired jumps (two-step) are up to 11.5 cm long, the width of the track is about 2.2 cm. Like other shrews, in winter they make hidden passages with a diameter of about 1.4 cm in the thickness of the snow.
Spreading. The species' habitat occupies forest and forest-steppe regions of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia to Lake Baikal. To the east of the Urals, the range of the small shrew includes a vast area, mainly in Western Siberia and to a lesser extent in the south Central Siberia. In the foothills of the Urals, it inhabits the territory between 50 and 70° N. w. The northernmost point from which this shrew is known is located on the Yamal Peninsula, north of the Arctic Circle. To the east, it was mined in the basin of the Nyda and Taz rivers at the latitude of the Arctic Circle. From the more southern regions there are collections from the river valley. Pur. Along the Ob, it was mined in the Lower Kievat region, in the Yamalo-Nenets National District; to the south in the area of the city of Kolpashevo and on the river. Ket. Further, the border goes along the Chu-lym and passes to the Yenisei, Angara and Chuya, the right tributary of the Lena. The easternmost locations of the little shrew are located on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal and along the Selenga. The southern border runs along state border. Thus, the range of the small shrew in Siberia is a wedge with its base in the Urals, which gradually narrows to the southeast with its apex at Lake. Baikal.
In Evenkia, as well as throughout Russia, one subspecies has been described - Sorex minutus minutus .
B i o t o p s. It prefers forests with a highly developed herbaceous cover, usually moist (especially in the south of Siberia), but in Europe it is also found in dry habitats, up to forest-steppes, where it settles in forest groves and river valleys.
It prefers to settle in places with a humid microclimate, but unlike other shrews it inhabits relatively dry areas. Within its range, the animal has a mosaic distribution. Typically, in taiga and wetlands, the small shrew adheres to riverbanks, banks of streams, lakes, swamp terraces and other areas with relatively well-drained soils. Willingly inhabits forest clearings with lush tall grass. In the forest-steppe part, it lives in light, small-leaved forests, meadows, and the shores of water bodies.
Nutrition. The composition of food consumed by the pygmy shrew is almost no different from the diet of other species. It includes various invertebrate animals, mainly small insects, their eggs, larvae (caterpillars). Despite its miniature size, it is a vicious and voracious predator. When the opportunity arises, the animal quickly attacks voles that are larger than it, energetically and persistently attacks the victim, inflicting numerous bites. When attacking large beetles, which the animal cannot kill immediately, it pursues, biting until it gnaws. The bites inflicted are so frequent that the shrew literally does not let go of the victim from its teeth. The small shrew is extremely voracious. Its daily diet is 6 g, which is about 250% of the animal’s body weight. Willingly eats small beetles, caterpillars, dipterans and their larvae, butterflies, centipedes, spiders, including larvae of click beetles (wireworms), small larvae of bronze beetles. Large larvae of bronze beetle and May beetle (more than 20 mm in size) are eaten less frequently. The animal first bites through the head of the larva, and then begins to eat it from the abdomen. Rarely eats earthworms.
Reproduction. Compared to the common and medium-sized shrews, the small shrew begins to reproduce somewhat later. The first pregnant females were registered at the end of July and were observed throughout the summer until September. The first arrived animals appear in June. The number of embryos is 4-12. More often there are females pregnant with 6 and 8 embryos, less often with 11 and 12. On average, the number of embryos per pregnant female is 7.5.
Meaning. Eats a large number of agricultural and forestry pests.
Sorex minutus see also 1.4.1 Genus Shrew Sorex Lesser shrew Sorex minutus (Table 4) Body length 4 6 cm, tail 3 4.5 cm. The proboscis is longer and sharper than that of the average and tiny shrew, with a noticeable narrowing in front of the eyes. Top... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
small shrew Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas
Lesser shrew- Crocidura suaveolens see also 1.4.2. Genus Shrew Crocidura Lesser shrew Crocidura suaveolens (about half body length). The top is gray, fawn or brownish, the bottom is light. The tail is slightly darker on top than on the bottom. Lives in the south... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
Shrew Radde- Sorex raddei see also 1.4.1 Genus Sorex Shrew Radde's shrew Sorex raddei (Table 4) Very similar to the common and Caucasian shrew, but the abdomen is almost as dark as the back. Lives in the forests of the Caucasus, especially in... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
Shrew Volnukhina- Sorex volnuchini see also 1.4.1 Genus Shrew Sorex Shrew Volnukhina Sorex volnuchini (Table 4) Almost indistinguishable from the small shrew, but lives only in the Caucasus in forests and meadows, descends to the Ciscaucasia, where... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
small shrew- kirstukas nykštukas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Sorex minutus engl. Eurasian pygmy shrew; lesser shrew; pygmy shrew vok. eurasische Zwergspitzmaus; Zwergspitzmaus rus. baby shrew; small... ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas
Medium shrew- Sorex caecutiens see also 1.4.1 Genus Shrew Sorex Medium shrew Sorex caecutiens (Table 4) It differs from the common shrew only in its smaller size (body length 5-7 cm, tail 3-5 cm), brownish tint on the top, thin... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
Common shrew- Sorex araneus see also 1.4.1 Genus Shrew Sorex Common shrew Sorex araneus (darker in winter), sides with a rusty tint, bottom gray. The tail is black above, white below, at its end there is a sort of narrow brush of elongated hair. Lives in... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
Caucasian shrew- Sorex caucasica see also 1.4.1 Genus Shrew Sorex Caucasian shrew Sorex caucasica (Table 4) Almost indistinguishable from the common shrew, but lives only in the Caucasus. Most numerous on alpine meadows and in the forests... Animals of Russia. Directory
Dark-footed shrew- Sorex daphaenodon see also 1.4.1 Genus Sorex Shrews Dark-footed shrew Sorex daphaenodon (Table 4) Almost indistinguishable from the average shrew, but the feet of the hind legs are dark brown on top. Body length 5 7 cm, tail 3 4 cm.... ... Animals of Russia. Directory
Settles in deciduous and mixed forests, choosing shady and damp areas as their habitat.
Mainly active at night, leaving 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 famine can also feed on small carrion. During feeding, it usually stands on all four legs, but the slippery insect grabs with its forelimbs. The common shrew can climb along the bark of trees to the eggs of paired silkworms or nun butterflies.
It bears three broods per year. The gestation period can take 18-28 days, and up to 10 cubs are born in one litter. The female builds a nest from leaves and grass stems, placing soft material in it. Lifespan is no more than 1.5 years.
You can clearly see the common shrew in the video below.
Little shrew (American)
The baby shrew is the smallest species of shrew, who lives in North America.
This animal acquired its scientific name - Sorex hoyi - after the name of a naturalist and doctor from America Philip Hoy.
Lives in Canada and the United States, where it lives in forests with deciduous and coniferous trees, as well as in the open air.
The body length of this type of shrew is no more than 5 cm, including a 2 cm tail. Weight reaches 2-2.5 grams. The fur has a gray-brown or red-brown tint on the back, and light on the belly. During winter, all fur becomes lighter.
Shows activity at any time of the day, and also all year round. Like other shrews, it feeds on small insects, worms and other small invertebrates. Enemies in nature are birds of prey, snakes, and domestic cats.
The breeding season begins in the first months of summer, pregnancy lasts 18 days. In one year, a baby shrew bears only one offspring, in which there are from 3 to 8 cubs.
Tiny
Tiny shrew - smallest mammal, which lives in Russia, and is also one of the smallest insectivorous animals found in Europe.
It inhabits the territory from the Scandinavian countries to Far East, including o. Sakhalin.
In the northern regions it lives up to the border of the tundra and forest-tundra. Listed in the Red Book Murmansk region.
The length of the animal is no more than 5 cm, of which 2.5-3 cm is the tail. Average weight - 3-4 grams. It has a wide head, which sharply turns into a proboscis.
Compared to other types of shrews, this one has the smallest tail - it occupies up to 54% of the total length.
How tiny the size is can be seen in the photo below.
The coat color is brown or dark brown on top and light gray on the belly. The tail is also covered with fine hair with a clearly visible change from dark to light color.
Lives in the forests with different types trees, along the edges of the swamps. The tiny shrew is also found in the tundra, semi-deserts and steppes.
But when settling, it loves exactly those places where you can find a large amount of food, regardless of the time of year and conditions. It feeds on small insects, larvae, and spiders.
Due to a very high metabolism, can eat up to 80 times per day, alternating these intervals with sleep. If starved, it dies within a couple of hours.
It can produce 1-2 litters per year, each of which contains up to 8 (usually 4-5) cubs.
Small
The body length is 4-6 cm, with the tail occupying 50-70% of the length. Weight up to 5 grams. The proboscis on the muzzle is very elongated, which, along with the 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 belly is much lighter. In winter, the coat darkens even more.
The small shrew settles in forests, places with dampness, but not very shaded. Does not like open areas with dry grass. It feeds on small insects, spiders, worms, including dung beetles, ground beetles, leaf beetles and many others. Active throughout the day.
The breeding season lasts all summer, during which the animal has 1-2 litters with 4-12 individuals.
Average
The average shrew in size occupies a transitional position between the small and common shrew. Occupies 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 conditions from river floodplains to mountain tundra.
At the same time, a stable number of these animals is found only in floodplains. 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 occupies 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 it finds in the forest floor, as well as beetles, spiders, and earthworms. IN winter time strongly depends on larch seeds, the failure of which can lead to mass death of the animal during the cold period.
Reproduction occurs in warm weather, usually in a litter there are from 2 to 11 cubs.
Gigantic
The giant shrew is the most major representative this type of animal. In addition, it lives only in a limited area of the Primorsky Territory, and therefore is included in the Red Book of Russia as rare view with declining numbers. There is 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 (up to 3 cm) are clearly visible on the muzzle.
Giant shrew - photo attached.
Eats as many insects as it weighs every day. In this case, the animal may die if it does not feed for more than 3 hours.
The main food is earthworms, which make up 95% of its menu. Also eats frogs, snakes, small rodents, and plant fruits.
In search of food, it can burrow into dense soil. Lives for about 1.5 years. In one year, female giant shrews produce only one offspring however, the number of cubs is unknown.
Equal-toothed
The equal-toothed shrew has specific differences, which make it possible to identify it from other species - one has a uniform color of a dark shade, and also pronounced fifth upper tooth.
Lives in the taiga zone, from Scandinavia to 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 dimensions are 6-9 cm, of which the tail accounts for up to 55%. The equal-toothed shrew weighs about 6.5 grams. It feeds on insects and their larvae, which it finds in the forest litter. In winter, it switches to seeds of spruce and deciduous trees.
They live up to 1.5 years. The breeding period for overwintered individuals begins at the end of spring. Females can produce 1-2 offspring per season, 2-10 cubs each.
Flat-skull (brown)
The flat-skulled shrew is another species that can be identified without measuring. This includes characteristic coat color, which goes from dark on the back to light on the sides and gray-white on the belly. In addition, this animal tail is quite bushy.
The distribution area of the flat-headed shrew is from the Urals to the Pacific coast. Lives in the tundra, taiga and mountainous regions, often found within the habitat zone (about where they live and what they eat different types shrew, you can find out). Loves areas of dark coniferous taiga.
There are no exact data on diet. Most likely, it is not very different from the menu of other representatives of this species, which includes insects, larvae and earthworms.
It breeds in the warm season and can give birth to 8 to 10 young at a time.
Conclusion
The shrew is found in many countries, inhabiting almost all natural areas- from the tundra to the steppes.
Sizes range from 5 to 10 cm; some species, due to their limited habitat, are included in the local Red Books.
The diet of all animals is similar, and includes various types of insects, spiders and worms. Harm farming do not apply.
Do you want to know which ones and how to get rid of them? summer cottage, go to .
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
