Common Shrew

Sorex araneus

The Common Shrew is a tiny mammal with a long snout and a furry body. They are quick and love to scurry around looking for insects and worms to eat!

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Common Shrew has a velvety, dark brown back that fades to a lighter, greyish-white belly. It features a long, pointed, mobile snout, tiny eyes, and small, almost hidden ears, making it visually distinct from mice or voles.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseMammaliaOrdnungSoricomorphaFamilieSoricidaeGattungSorex

Common Shrew

Kategorie

Säugetiere

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

A shrew's tiny heart can beat an astonishing 1200 times per minute, making them super speedy!

Common Shrews eat up to 90% of their body weight daily, needing food every few hours!

Red-tipped teeth make them strong for crunching tough insect exoskeletons!

Unlike many small mammals, Common Shrews do not hibernate, staying active even through winter.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Common Shrews can shrink their skull and brain in winter, helping them survive cold periods with less energy and food.

Common Shrews have a unique 'caravan' behavior where young link up to travel safely behind their mother in a line.

Common Shrews use their incredibly long, mobile snouts to constantly probe and find hidden insects and worms underground.

Maße und Details

Länge: 6-9 cm
Gewicht: 0.005-0.012 kg
Lebenserwartung: 1-1.5 Jahre
Top Speed: 7 km/h
Wurfgröße: 4-10
Tragzeit: 19-21 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

These tiny hunters constantly search for insects and other small invertebrates to fuel their speedy lives.

Hauptnahrung

Beetles
Larvae
Earthworms
Spiders
Slugs
Snails

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Tawny Owl

Strix aluco

A common nocturnal predator that often hunts shrews.

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Often preys on shrews, though their scent can make them less appealing.

eats

Earthworm

Lumbricus terrestris

An important food source, often dug out from underground.

eats

Ground Beetle

Pterostichus melanarius

One of many beetle species consumed by the hungry shrew.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger leben den größten Teil ihres Lebens allein und interagieren mit Artgenossen nur zur Paarung oder zur Aufzucht der Jungen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.