Little shrew
| Little shrew | ||||||||||||
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Common shrew ( Sorex minutissimus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sorex minutissimus | ||||||||||||
| Carpenter , 1780 |
The common shrew ( Sorex minutissimus ) is a small mammal in the shrew family . It is the second smallest species in the family after the Etruscan shrew. Of the various subspecies described, not all are generally recognized.
features
This shrew only has a head body length of about 4 cm and a tail about 2.5 cm long. The weight is between 1.5 and 4 g. Depending on the season, the fur on the top is red-brown or gray-brown. There is a distinctive border to the light gray underside. The hair on the tail is sparse.
Distribution and habitat
The main distribution area extends from Lapland over Russia to the Pacific coast including the Japanese island of Hokkaidō . Further finds are documented scattered across other parts of Norway and Sweden . The southernmost occurrences are in central Kazakhstan , central Mongolia and northeast China . Regarding the habitat , the species is variable. B. in forests, on bare mountain ranges and on wetlands. It is often found indoors in winter.
Way of life
The activity times are spread over the whole day and in between there are rest breaks lasting a maximum of one hour. The little shrew feeds on small animals that are usually smaller than 1.5 mm, so it does not eat earthworms. The prey animals include insects and their larvae as well as arachnids . In individual cases, carrion is also eaten. A little shrew eats more every day than its own body mass.
Females mate once or twice a year and 3 to 6 pups are born per litter. The length of life in the wild is not known, but individuals in human care lived up to 2.5 years old.
The species is listed as not endangered by the IUCN .
literature
- Birger Jensen: North däggdjur. 2nd Edition. Prisma, Stockholm 2004, ISBN 91-518-4432-X , pp. 25-26.
- Kai Curry-Lindahl , Däggdjur, Groddjur & Kräldjur. Norstedts, Stockholm 1988, ISBN 91-1-864142-3 , pp. 215-216.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Savela, Markku. Lepidoptera and some other life forms , " Sorex minutissimus " . sighted June 20, 2009.
- ↑ Sorex minutissimus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Henttonen, H. et al, 2008. Accessed 20 June 2009..