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Tag Archives: shrew

Passed on

26 Tuesday Jul 2022

Posted by sconzani in mammal

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British mammals, dead shrew, shrew

This was one of three dead shrews I saw on Sunday’s walk around a local meadow. These tiny creatures live a fast and furious life so their death may have been from natural causes though I’ve never seen three on one day in one field before. I wonder if last week’s heat wave got them (for non-British readers, Britain recorded temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius last week for the first time ever). I found it intriguing, if gory, to see the ants clustered around the snout and claws.

220726 dead shrew

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Shrew, deceased

02 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by sconzani in mammal

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British mammals, dead shrew, Pygmy shrew, shrew

It almost looks like it’s sleeping, recovering from scurrying rapidly about by taking a short nap on the warm bare earth … but no. A tiny four centimetres in length, furry tailed and the tail about two thirds the length of its body so, I think, a Pygmy shrew. The words from a Neil Young song spring to mind: ‘It’s better to burn out than to fade away’ – this little shrew lived, and died, those lyrics.

210902 pygmy shrew

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Heatwave

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal, nature, seasons, weather

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#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, heatwave, Penarth, shrew, summer heat

And I thought yesterday was hot!

180626 Penarth

On day 26 of #30DaysWild the temperature hit 29°C here in Penarth, even hotter than yesterday. And while people may be enjoying this weather (I am not!), it’s really tough for wildlife. I’m not sure what caused this little shrew to die but it’s easy to believe it was the heat, or perhaps thirst. We’ve had a couple of dry months now, and ponds and streams are running low and / or drying up. So, if you’re in a position to put water out for the birds and the beasties, please do – they really need all the help they can get right now.

180626 shrew

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The taming of the shrew

23 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in animals, mammal, nature

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British mammals, mammal, Pygmy shrew, rodent, shrew, Sorex minutus

I have only ever seen two shrews, both sadly deceased. Britain has two species of shrew, the Common (Sorex araneus) and the Pygmy (Sorex minutus), but I believe the ones I have seen have been Pygmy shrews. Though both species have brown fur on their backs and silvery grey fur on their bellies, and they are of a similar size, the Pygmy shrew has a tail that is two-thirds the length of its body, whereas the Common shrew’s is half the length. It’s a small distinction and I’m sure experts could point to more scientific methods of distinguishing one from the other but, for me, the tail has to be the telling point.

170923 Pygmy shrew (1)

Pygmy shrews lead short but frantic lives. In their twelve to eighteen months of life the females can give birth to two, sometimes three litters of between 5 and 7 young. Though very few people ever see them, they are common in much of Britain, ferreting about frantically, in grasslands, woodlands, the fringes of arable fields and in the urban garden, for the small insects they like to eat. As you can see, they have tiny eyes but that relatively large snout gives them a keen sense of smell to help find their prey.

170923 Pygmy shrew (2)

In case you’re wondering how I managed to get such detailed photos of this little Pygmy shrew, I brought it home with me. This wasn’t just to get photos – through someone I know who is doing a PhD in biosciences at Cardiff University, this little creature has been donated to science. Its details will help in the study of these often elusive small mammals, and it will be preserved and used as a teaching aid. I was sad to find such a gorgeous wee beastie dead but at least its death has not been in vain.

170923 Pygmy shrew (3)
170923 Pygmy shrew (4)
170923 Pygmy shrew (5)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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