Southeastern shrew

Last updated

Southeastern shrew [1]
Dismal Swamp southeastern shrew.jpg
A dismal swamp southeastern shrew, Sorex longirostris fisheri
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Soricidae
Genus: Sorex
Species:
S. longirostris
Binomial name
Sorex longirostris
Bachman, 1837
Southeastern Shrew area.png
Southeastern shrew range

The southeastern shrew (Sorex longirostris) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in the southeastern United States. [2]

Contents

Description

The southeastern shrew (Sorex longirostris) is reddish-brown above on its back, head area while the shrew is grayish below in the abdomen area. The shrew's long tail is vaguely bi-colored, with dark and light brown as the color. The southeastern shrew is slightly smaller and more reddish than the masked shrew, which looks very similar to the southeastern shrew. Shrews possess lengthy pointed snouts, tiny eyes and ears. Their hearing and smell are very acute. The tips of the incisor teeth are dark chestnut in color. The pigmentation on the tip of their teeth is caused by deposition of iron in the outer pigmented teeth. It weighs in at 0.11-0.14 ounces and has an approximate total length of 2-4 inches. Their lifespan in the wild is rarely more than a year, but they can live as long as 18 or 19 months. [3]

Subspecies

There are three subspecies of the southeastern shrew, distinguished by their varying sizes: [4]

Breeding

The breeding season takes place from March–October and 1 to 2 litters is produced with 1-6 young per litter. The nests are composed of leafy material and fine grasses and are often found in rotting logs.

Behavior

The southeastern shrew is active during the day and night, usually hunting for insects to eat. They make a chipping noise that can be heard occasionally. Southeastern shrews are active, spending most of their time in the burrows of other animals and rooting beneath the leaf litter feeding on the forest floor. [6]

Distribution

The habitat for the southeastern shrews include forests and woodlands, scrub, shrub and brushlands, meadows and fields, swamps, marshes, and bogs. Their habitat ranges from fields to forests, but southeastern shrews prefer areas in early stages of succession and disturbed areas such as cultivated and abandoned fields with dense ground cover of Lonicera spp. (honeysuckles), grasses, and herbs. [7] Southeastern shrews are active both day and night, spending most of their time in the burrows of other animals and rooting beneath the leaf litter on the forest floor. The shrews have a population density of 12 individuals per acre. [8]

Diet

The southeastern shrew has a diet consisting primarily of spiders, as well as the larvae of butterflies, moths, slugs, and beetles; the species is also known to consume plants and centipedes. [9]

Predation

Known predators of the southeastern shrew are opossums; [4] [10] owls, [4] including barn and barred owls; [10] snakes; [4] hooded mergansers; [10] domestic cats (see cat predation on wildlife); [10] [4] and domestic dogs. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrew</span> Family of mammals

Shrews are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different families or orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern cottontail</span> Species of mammal

The eastern cottontail is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is the most common rabbit species in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American pygmy shrew</span> Species of mammal

The American pygmy shrew, also called the eastern pygmy shrew, is a small shrew found throughout much of Alaska, Canada, and the northern contiguous United States, as well as south along the Appalachian Mountains and in a small region in the Colorado and Wyoming Rockies. The species was first discovered in 1831 by naturalist William Cane in Georgian Bay, Parry Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Arctic shrew, also known as the blackback shrew or saddlebacked shrew, is a medium-sized shrew found in Canada and the northern United States. Separate species status has been proposed for the maritime shrew which is found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and had been considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic shrew. The tundra shrew was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic shrew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsh shrew</span> Species of shrew

The marsh shrew, also known as the Pacific water shrew, Bendire's water shrew, Bendire's shrew and Jesus shrew is the largest North American member of the genus Sorex. Primarily covered in dark-brown fur, it is found near aquatic habitats along the Pacific coast from southern British Columbia to northern California. With air trapped in its fur for buoyancy, marsh shrews can run for three to five seconds on top of the water. It measures about 16 cm (6.3 in) in length, including a 7-centimetre (2.8 in)-long tail, and weighs an average of 14.5–16 g (0.51–0.56 oz). The marsh shrew's diet consists mainly of invertebrates, which it hunts on land and in the water. They are rare; their populations are thought to be in decline, and they are considered endangered in parts of their range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoky shrew</span> Species of mammal

The smoky shrew is a medium-sized North American shrew found in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States and extends further south along the Appalachian Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern short-tailed shrew</span> Species of mammal

The southern short-tailed shrew is a gray, short-tailed shrew that inhabits the eastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American shrew mole</span> Species of mammal

The American shrew mole is the smallest species of mole. It is the only living member of the genus Neurotrichus and the tribe Neurotrichini. It is also known as Gibb's shrew mole and least shrew mole. It is not closely related to the Asian shrew mole. The reason that it is called a "shrew mole" instead of being called either a "shrew" or a "mole" is because of its fur, which is a characteristic of shrews and its large head and heavy dentition, which is characteristic of moles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern bog lemming</span> Species of mammal

The northern bog lemming is a small North American lemming. It is one of two species in the genus Synaptomys, the other being the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi). Very little information is available about this species' life as they are hard to find and study. The northern bog lemming is a small, reddish-brown rodent with a short tail, and distinct markings on their upper teeth. These markings, along with having four pairs of teats, distinguishes this species from the southern bog lemming. The northern bog lemming lives in wet habitats in North America and is omnivorous, eating herbaceous material and invertebrates. They are thought to be extremely sociable animals and sexually mature at around 6 weeks old. Predators include most medium to larger sized carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that eat smaller mammals. The northern bog lemming is listed as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List and is considered threatened or of concern in states such as Minnesota and Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian pygmy shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Eurasian pygmy shrew, often known simply as the pygmy shrew, is a widespread shrew of the northern Palearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common shrew</span> Species of mammal

The common shrew, also known as the Eurasian shrew, is the most common shrew, and one of the most common mammals, throughout Northern Europe, including Great Britain, but excluding Ireland. It is 55 to 82 millimetres long and weighs 5 to 12 grams, and has velvety dark brown fur with a pale underside. It is one of the rare venomous mammals. Juvenile shrews have lighter fur until their first moult. The common shrew has small eyes, a pointed, mobile snout and red-tipped teeth. It has a life span of approximately 14 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laxmann's shrew</span> Species of mammal

Laxmann's shrew, or the masked shrew, is a species of shrew. Its range extends from northern Scandinavia and the Baltic to the Sea of Japan, including Hokkaidō, Sakhalin, and the Korean Peninsula. It favours mountain forests but is sometimes found in tundra and moorland, and also in lowland areas as well. It avoids cultivated land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ussuri shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Ussuri shrew, also known as the giant shrew, is a species of shrew found in Northeast Asia. An adult Ussuri shrew has a total length including the tail of 137 to 170 mm. It is found in valleys and on the forested slopes of mountains in the Korean Peninsula, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East. It is rarely observed, and its ecology is largely unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swamp musk shrew</span> Species of mammal native to African swamps

The swamp musk shrew, or musk shrew, is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It occurs in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is swamps, and it is a common species in suitable habitats, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature listing it as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African giant shrew</span> Species of mammal

The African giant shrew is a species of white-toothed shrew. It also is known as, Mann's musk shrew, Euchareena's musk shrew, or Olivier's shrew. It is native to Africa, where it has a widespread distribution and occurs in many types of habitat. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, arable land, rural gardens, urban areas, and heavily degraded former forest. In the Nile Valley it is found near human habitation, where it is considered to be a pest. It is a common species and is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine shrew</span> Species of mammal

The alpine shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in the alpine meadows and coniferous forests of central and southern European mountain ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Pacific shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to western Oregon in the United States. The Pacific Shrew is native to western Oregon, more specifically from the Siltcoos lake to the coast going from the border line of Douglas and Lane counties continuing south to the northern parts of California. The first documented Pacific shrew to be caught was found at the mouth of the Umpqua River in 1858. They are normally found in damp areas along creeks in forests and sometimes near collapsed trees. Their refuge is of the utmost importance and they are seldom found far from it. This includes collapsed trees or dense vegetation. They use the flora to build a nest, gathering small plants such as grass, moss, lichen, or leaves into a pile and pushing themselves into the middle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trowbridge's shrew</span> Species of mammal

Trowbridge's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in southern British Columbia in Canada and in Washington, Oregon, and California in the United States.

Northwest River Natural Area Preserve is a 2,788-acre (11.28 km2) Natural Area Preserve located in the city of Chesapeake, Virginia. Located along the Northwest River, the preserve protects upland forests as well as swamps and marshes along the river.

References

  1. Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 290–291. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Sorex longirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41401A115184004. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41401A22313322.en . Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  3. "Sorex longirostris Bachman; Southeastern Shrew". pick4.pick.uga.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Delisting of the Dismal Swamp Southeastern Shrew (Sorex longirostris fisheri, 65 Fed. Reg. 10420 (February 28, 2000).
  5. Dismal Swamp southeastern shrew, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (accessed July 4, 2020).
  6. "Tennessee Watchable Wildlife | Southeastern Shrew". www.tnwatchablewildlife.org. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  7. Linzey, Donald W. (2016). "Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 2016 Revision". Southeastern Naturalist. 15: 1–93. doi:10.1656/058.015.m801. S2CID   89136211.
  8. Anonymous (2014-07-16). "Southeastern Shrew". Outdoor Alabama. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  9. Charles W. Schwartz, Elizabeth R. Schwartz, The Wild Mammals of Missouri (2d rev. ed.: University of Missouri Press, 2001), p. 36.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Charles W. Schwartz, Elizabeth R. Schwartz, The Wild Mammals of Missouri (2d rev. ed.: University of Missouri Press, 2001), p. 37.