by Sarah Dickinson

Created on: September 20, 2009   Last Updated: September 21, 2009

If you catch a glimpse of a shrew in your garden or a field, you might mistake this creature for a mouse prior to spotting its pointed snout.

The shrew is a very small mammal covered with short, dark hair related to the mole; it has sharp teeth and an extremely fragile body at only 2-6inches long, some only weigh no more than a penny.

Shrews are easily startled and some even drop dead at a sudden noise such as lightening. They are nocturnal, most live under vegetation. Shrew's are brutal fighters they kill larger animals then themselves such as mice, however they do tend to prefer smaller animals. Farmers tend to love shrews as they eat insects that ruin their crops.

It is essential to a shrew to eat all the time because they burn up so a lot of energy when killing for food. Because the shrew is so desperate for food it makes it more determined to kill animals such as mice, birds and other creatures so they will not starve to death.

The bite of some shrews is poisonous to other animals. One single drop of its poison can paralyze a mouse, but this small amount of poison is not harmful to humans.

Newborn shrews are often smaller than a coffee bean. They also are blind and hairless, and they are completely dependent on their mothers.

The shrew is a fast, excitable animal. They have a short life span which is approximately two years. . They reach maturity when they are about a year old. Many scientists believe that the reason for the short life span is that such an animals need ample amounts of food. Burning all this food for energy may put too much stress on the bodies of the animals.

Shrews that live in captivity live only one or two years. Shrews in the wild face many more dangers that can shorten their lives even further. Animals such as owls, foxes, and weasels prey on them. Shrews also can be killed by parasites or diseases. Sometimes a loud noise such as thunder can scare a shrew to death.

Different species of Shrew.

Shrews can be found around the world in temperate and tropical areas, however they are not found in Australia. There are more than 40 species in North America; one of the most common shrews is the short-tailed shrew. Aquatic shrews have stiff hairs on the feet that trap air bubbles, allowing the animal to run on the surface of the water. The water shrew usually lives alone and each one occupies a territory which it fiercely defends from other shrews. Fighting is common and shrill squeals can sometimes be heard as a territorial dispute takes

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