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All shrews are tiny, most no larger than a mouse. The largest species is the Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus) of tropical Asia, which is about 15 cm (6 in) long and weighs around 100 g (3 + 1 ⁄ 2 oz) [2] The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), at about 3.5 cm (1 + 3 ⁄ 8 in) and 1.8 grams (28 grains), is the smallest known living terrestrial mammal.
The northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is the largest shrew in the genus Blarina, [3] and occurs in the northeastern region of North America. [4] It is a semifossorial, highly active, and voracious insectivore and is present in a variety of habitats like broadleaved and pine forests among shrubs and hedges as well as grassy river banks. [5]
Common shrew foraging (UK) The common shrew's carnivorous and insectivorous diet consists of insects, slugs, spiders, worms, amphibians and small rodents. Shrews need to consume 200% to 300% of their body weight in food each day in order to survive; to achieve this they must eat every 2 to 3 hours, and they will starve if they go without food ...
Like all shrews, the Asian house shrew is plantigrade and long-nosed. The teeth are a series of sharp points to poke holes in insect exoskeletons. It is the largest of the shrew species, weighing between 50 and 100 g and being about 15 cm long from snout to tip of the tail. [8]
The shrew has to eat almost constantly, because they can only survive a few hours without food. [7] Their metabolism drops when they are at rest. McCay and colleagues (1997) found a higher abundance of masked shrews in non-irrigated forests due to a higher availability of larval insects, which is the preferred food source of the masked shrew.
They were “hiding in plain sight,” Australian researchers said.
The shrew usually has 30 teeth, but the 4th upper intermediate tooth is very small (rudimentary), and is absent in some individuals. [6] Near the mouth grow a dense array of short whiskers, which the shrew actively uses to search for prey, especially in the night. [7] Dimorphism in body features between males and females is absent. [10]
The American water shrew is a sexually dimorphic species in which the males are generally larger and heavier than the females. The size of the shrew is 130–170 mm (5.1–6.7 in) and weight is 8–18 g (0.28–0.63 oz). Their tail length is 57–89 mm (2.2–3.5 in).