Shrew

Share Top Five March 22, 2019

The shrew (family Soricidae) is a small mole-like mammal classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, or the West Indies shrews, which belong to different families or orders,More info:wiki

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#10 Newly-discovered ridiculously strong shrew species helps explain strange spine design,More info:theverge

In equatorial Africa is a small shrew that can bear the weight of an adult human for minutes at a time, and then walk away unharmed. This animal, the armored shrew, has become known as the hero shrew for its amazing strength. But researchers have been puzzled as to why the creature evolved that way — built with an incredibly strong spine that no other animal had been found to have. Now a research team led from the Field Museum in Chicago has discovered a new species capable of similar feats of strength, which they’re calling Thor’s hero shrew. The new animal appears to sit between the armored shrew and common shrews, and it’s helping to reveal the mystery behind the both creatures’ impressive spines.

#9 Tundra shrew,More info:wikipedia

#8 NO TAMING THE SHREW,More info:mdc.mo

A tiny gray form about two inches long darts frantically along a rotting log, leaps off the end, and scurries beneath a thick carpet of moss. It seizes its victim–an earthworm–and devours it almost instantly.

This energetic little beast is a shrew. It is mouse-like, but smaller, and also has a long, pointed, very unmouse-like nose. Shrews eat insects and other invertebrates. They must feed almost constantly to support their high metabolism . Shrews eat as much as three times their own weight each day. Their energy use in proportion to their size surpasses that of any other mammal.

Shrews have sharp, pincher-like teeth that are perfect for holding struggling insects and biting though their tough shells. Shrew saliva is laced with poison that slows down an insect’s heart rate and breathing.

Shrews often use mouse and mole tunnels, but sometimes dig tunnels of their own. Two shrews may even work together, one digging while the other packs the tunnel walls. Like bats, they make high-pitched noises that humans can’t hear. They use these sounds to locate objects in their tunnels.

Some shrews store live prey inside their tunnels and move it according to temperature, apparently to keep it immobile and fresh.

#7 Short-eared elephant shrew,More info:nationalzoo.si

#6 Hero Shrew Found, One of “Most Bizarre Animals on Earth”,More info:blog.nationalgeographic

#5 This shrew only weighs an ounce but it’s more like an elephant than a mouse,More info:theverge

Scientists have discovered a new mammal in a remote desert in Namibia — and its name is Macroscelidea micus. One of 17 elephant shrew species, the newly discovered mammal weighs up to an ounce and measures about 7.5 inches from snout to tail, Reuters reports. And, although it’s smaller than other elephant shrews, Macroscelides micus has a lot to offer by way of its genetics because, as it turns out, it’s actually more closely related to elephants, and other large mammals, than its closest relatives are.