Common shrew

Shrew ( Sorex araneus )

The shrew ( Sorex araneus ) is a mammal of the family of shrews. They colonized large parts of Europe and northern Asia.

Mark

The head -body length is 65 to 85 mm, tail length 35 to 47 mm and weight from 6.5 to 14.3 g The back is dark brown, the edges are light brown and the underside is gray. In young animals, the top light and the transition to the bright edge coloring is fluid.

Dissemination

The distribution of forest shrew includes Central, Eastern and Northern Europe and parts of Asia and extends eastward to Lake Baikal and the Himalayas. In France and in the Iberian Peninsula, there are only isolated occurrences in the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, where the species is otherwise replaced by the very similar pelmet shrew. The shrew was also missing in Ireland and largely in the Mediterranean, where the deposits, as well as in South-East Europe are restricted to mountainous regions.

Habitat

The shrew reached the highest densities in moist forests and wetlands, but also colonized almost every other terrestrial habitats to crevices and sand dunes.

Way of life

The animals are diurnal and nocturnal. The diet consists mainly of earthworms, insects and their larvae and snails, rarely small vertebrates are eaten. The propagation takes place from April to October, most litters are born in spring and early summer. A female has two to four litters a year, each comprising 1 to 11, usually 4-7 boy. The newly born, very immature young mice weigh only 0.4 g The eyes open at the age 20 to 22 days, after 30 days the pups are self-employed. The animals are up to 16 months old in the wild. In winter, reduce forest shrews size and weight. The organs and the skull cap then lose in size.

Inventory and risk

The shrew is the most common shrew in Central Europe and in Germany safely; the world population is also safely IUCN.