Eurasian Pygmy Shrew

Sorex minutus

The Eurasian Pygmy Shrew is a tiny, quick mammal that scurries around looking for insects to eat. They are so small that they can fit in your hand and are very good at hiding!

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Eurasian Pygmy Shrew is a tiny mammal, often no bigger than a thumb, with velvety brownish-grey fur on its back and a lighter, whitish underside. It has a long, pointed snout, small beady eyes, and tiny, almost hidden ears, making its head look very streamlined.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseMammaliaOrdnungSoricomorphaFamilieSoricidaeGattungSorex

Eurasian Pygmy Shrew

Kategorie

Säugetiere

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Its heart beats an astonishing 1,200 times a minute!

Pygmy shrews can move their jaws up to 10-12 times per second while eating!

They must eat every few hours or they can starve to death.

This tiny shrew can eat its own weight in food every single day!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Eurasian Pygmy Shrew has a super-fast metabolism that makes them need to eat almost constantly to survive.

Eurasian Pygmy Shrew can find hidden food using its highly sensitive nose and whiskers, even in complete darkness.

Eurasian Pygmy Shrew can squeeze through incredibly small gaps and tunnels because of its flexible, tiny body.

Maße und Details

Länge: 4-6 cm
Gewicht: 0.002-0.007 kg
Lebenserwartung: 1-2 Jahre
Top Speed: 8 km/h
Wurfgröße: 2-12
Tragzeit: 19-21 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

These tiny hunters mostly eat small insects and other invertebrates they find on the ground.

Hauptnahrung

Beetles
Spiders
Slugs
Worms
Larvae

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Barn Owl

Tyto alba

A common owl predator.

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Hunted by this opportunistic predator.

eaten by

Least Weasel

Mustela nivalis

A small mammal predator.

hunts

Ground Beetle

Carabus nemoralis

Actively preys on these beetles.

hunts

Garden Spider

Araneus diadematus

Often catches these spiders.

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.