Eurasian pygmy shrew
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (June 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Eurasian pygmy shrew[1] Temporal range: Early | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eurasian pygmy shrew in the wild in Sheffield, England | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Genus: | Sorex |
| Species: | S. minutus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766 | |
 | |
| Eurasian pygmy shrew range | |
The Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), often known simply as the pygmy shrew, is a widespread shrew of the northern Palearctic.
Description
[edit]
The Eurasian pygmy shrew measures about 5 cm (2.0 in) in length, plus a 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long tail; it has an average weight of 4 g (0.14 oz). The very dense and shiny fur on its back is blackish with shades ranging from reddish to purplish; the belly, throat, jaw, periocular area and lower part of the tail are contrasted whitish. The muzzle and legs are covered with sparse white hair, while the skin is flesh coloured. The ears are small and half hidden by fur, they are dark flesh colored and shaped like a semicircle. The head is larger in proportion to the body than in other shrews.[citation needed]
Behaviour and ecology
[edit]
The Eurasian pygmy shrew is a solitary mammal, active throughout the day and night and inhabiting areas of dense vegetation across a broad elevation range.[3] It lives of seeds, small insects and other invertebrates.[4] It uses the burrows or tunnels of other rodents under tree stumps. It roams on a few hundred square metres and establishes trackways. It has one of the highest metabolic rates of any animal; to maintain homeostasis, it must eat every two hours.[5] Due to this, it eats up to 125% of its body weight, about 4 g (0.14 oz) each day.[6]
Breeding
[edit]The breeding season lasts from April through to August. Females usually produce between two and eight young per litter and care for the young in an underground nest. Since the gestation period is just over three weeks, they can have up to five litters in one year, though the life span of a pygmy shrew is a little over 15 months.[4]
References
[edit]Content in this edit is translated from the existing Italian Wikipedia article at it:Sorex minutus; see its history for attribution.
- ↑ Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ↑ Hutterer, R.; Kryštufek, B.; Fernandes, M. & Meinig, H. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Sorex minutus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T29667A115171222. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T29667A22316362.en. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ↑ "Sorex minutus". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
- 1 2 "UK safari on Pygmy shrews". Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ↑ Burton, R.; Burton, M. (1970). The international wildlife encyclopedia. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 2358–2359. ISBN 0-7614-7266-5. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ↑ "Pygmy shrew". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
External links
[edit]