Etruscan shrew
Etruscan shrew ( Suncus etruscus )
The Etruscan shrew ( Suncus etruscus ) is a mammal of the family of shrews. She is - along with the pig nose bat - the smallest mammal in the world and lives in the Mediterranean and parts of Asia.
Features
Etruscan shrews reach a body length from 35 to 48 millimeters, and additionally there is a 25 to 30 millimeters long tail. Adult animals weigh about 2.5 grams. Her short, soft fur is gray brown, the tail is provided on the upper side dark and with long hair. The snout is elongated as in all shrews, the ears are relatively large. The males have a gland on the flanks, which secretes an odor of musk secretion.
Distribution and habitat
Etruscan shrews are widespread from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia. In Europe, they inhabit the Iberian, the Apennines and the Balkan Peninsula, in addition, they live on some Mediterranean islands. In North Africa they are spread from Morocco to Egypt, the Canary Islands, there is an established population. In Asia, its distribution area, the Caucasus region, Central and South Asia extends from the eastern Mediterranean through the Arabian Peninsula, to South East Asia to Borneo. Reports on deposits in Guinea, Nigeria and Ethiopia are doubtful and require further investigation. In mainland China, the Etruscan shrew lives only in the southwestern province of Yunnan in Autonomous County Gengma.
In Switzerland, the species was considered extinct since 1895, in November 2011, but was again detected by zoologist Peter Vogel in the canton of Ticino.
It inhabits a range of habitats, including open woods, bush -lined areas and grasslands. Sometimes they can also be found in the vicinity of people, such as vineyards and olive groves. It occurs up to 3,000 meters above sea level. In China it inhabits open meadows, scrub and deciduous forests.
Way of life
Etruscan shrews have a very high metabolic rate and a correspondingly high energy consumption. Your heart beats up to 1500 times per minute, more than any other warm-blooded animal. During this time they can breathe up to 900 times. Your heart is very big and the skeletal muscle is applied to extremely rapid movements. The animals are constantly moving and looking for food. In the rare periods of rest retire under leaves lying on the ground. In times of food shortage or low temperatures they fall into a torpor. They are territorial animals. With chirping noise and, if necessary, by aggression expel intruders from their territory.
In order to meet their high energy requirements, they must take a lot of food. Like all shrews they feed primarily on insects, such as ants, mealworms and crickets. When foraging, they rely primarily on their sense of smell, their sense of sight is poorly developed. You dig the long snout in the ground or under leaves, the front feet are not taken with food gathering to help.
Little is known about the reproduction of Etruscan shrews. In a laboratory experiment lived during the breeding season pairs with their young together peacefully, whether they live all year in monogamous pairs or outside the mating season are solitary animals, is not known. After an approximately 27 - day gestation, the female gives birth to two to six pups. After about 17 to 20 days, they are weaned. About the life expectancy is not known.
Endangering
The species is relatively rarely seen or caught in traps, accordingly, little is known about their way of life or the degree of hazard. More often find their remains in Gewöllen, but again shows that it rarely occurs at least in Europe than other shrews. You can live near the people, but avoids too intensely cultivated land. Due to their large distribution area and because no major threats are known IUCN lists the type as " not at risk " ( least concern ).
System
The Etruscan shrew is one of about 20 species of the genus of the thick tail shrews ( Suncus ), to the issue also includes the also widespread, but much larger musk shrew is counted. Several populations were once considered subspecies of the Etruscan shrew, but are now managed as a separate species, namely Suncus madagascariensis from Madagascar, Suncus fellowesgordoni from Sri Lanka, Suncus hosei from Borneo, and Suncus malayanus of the Malay Peninsula. The animals from South and Southeast Asia may represent a distinct, hitherto undescribed species dar.